Burnouts are the most entertaining way a race winner can celebrate but Ryan Blaney is not a big fan of them. However, after winning the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono last Sunday, the Team Penske star did a short burnout that wasn’t all that impressive. He usually does not do one unless the victory means a lot to him. Last year after winning the playoff race at Talladega, he did oblidge and that caught a lot of people by surprise.
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Fans have wondered why the reigning Cup Series champion refrains from the iconic NASCAR celebration after winning a race. Blaney revealed the reason behind it after the Talladega win last year and it’s a funny story. Turns out that Richard Petty’s legendary crew chief Dale Inman dissuaded him from doing so with a hilarious example.
Ryan Blaney with a little burnout action at Pocono! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/VMNIXgWhPo
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 14, 2024
“Dale Inman pulled me aside one day and said, “Hey, you don’t see the winner of the Kentucky Derby get off his horse and beating it.” So that’s why I don’t do burnouts,” he told the media.
Inman touched on how celebratory burnouts often put vital components on the Next Gen Cup car ender strees. With Joe Gibbs Racing’s recent engine failures during races, Blaney’s decision not to celebrate might actually turn out to be beneficial.
Piper Harvick critiques Blaney’s half-hearted Pocono burnout
Speaking on an episode of his podcast, Harvick raised his daughter’s complaints for the driver of the #12 Ford Mustang. As per Piper, Blaney’s burnouts were “weak”. Her father played the role of a messenger as Piper insisted the Team Penske driver do a longer burnout.
“I will change it up. Hopefully, I’ll get another chance to do it here soon and I will see if I can make it a little better. I’m like halfway in between so my burnouts aren’t very good. I don’t do them very often. It’s tough but I like to do a little half one,” he said.
Heading into the postseason with 2 wins to his name so far, the ultimate celebratory burnout from the Penske star would undoubtedly be the one if he manages to defend his title this year. With the #12 crew’s performances picking up at the right time, their win at Pocono Raceway also fares well with the upcoming race at Indianapolis given the quad-oval’s similarities to the Pennsylvania track’s turn 2.
It reamains to be seen if the team can mount a championship challenge akin to last year.
