Ryan Blaney took home the NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Sunday thanks to a second-place finish in the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. He outdueled Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron in the final laps. However, Blaney was criticized by some for not being a deserving Champion. Is that true?
The main argument people make about Blaney not being a deserving Champion is his entire body of work throughout the full season. He finished the year with 3 wins, 8 top-5s, 18 top-10s 0 poles, and a 14.1 average finish (The worst of any NASCAR Cup Series Champion). Now, that is a very good season, but, it was far from the best overall body of work a driver has had this season. In terms of rankings, Blaney finished as follows amongst Cup Series drivers in stat rankings
Trey Ryan also took the liberty of compiling the leaders of almost every stat available in NASCAR. Ryan Blaney did not lead in any statistical category, even in advanced stats such as driver rating or % of laps as the fastest car. Blaney is nowhere to be found, but William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell, the Championship 4 contenders, are represented.
Blaney also did not lead in any Playoff category as well. William Byron led in Playoff average finish, Playoff points, and points scored in the Playoffs. No matter how you slice, Ryan Blaney did not have the best overall season, and, some could argue he was not even in the top-5. The Non-Playoff standings on Racing Reference put Blaney sixth in terms of points scored this season.
However, does that tell the whole story? Are there other factors to keep in mind?
While Blaney did not have the best overall season, he performed the best when it mattered most. When he needed a win at Talladega in the Round of 12, knowing it was his best chance at advancing, he got that win. When he needed a good run at Martinsville to Clinch a Championship 4 spot, he got a win.
His average finish over the final four races of the season was 2.75. That was by far the best of any Playoff contender. When he needed to get wins, he got them, and when he needed to be great, he was great.
It’s also worth noting that Blaney led the overall points at one point during the regular season. This was after Gateway, which was race 15 of the season. There were moments this season where he did show winning speed, and Championship level performance.
It may not have been consistent, but, that’s not necessary in this format. People may point to the Non-Playoff standings or the mythical Winston Cup points standings, but, those are flawed representations of a driver’s overall performance in 2023. That’s because, under those systems, drivers would not race the same way they do under the current system, so, there is no guarantee the same result would be replicated should either of those have been the actual system.
When the chips were down and Ryan Blaney had to have a Championship level performance, he had it. William Byron struggled at Martinsville and was a bit off late at Phoenix. Christopher Bell blew a brake rotor, and Kyle Larson also was just a bit off. Performing well when it matters most should count for something.
At the end of the day, Blaney will go down in the record books as the 2023 Cup Series Champion. There will forever be a discussion about whether or not this is the best way to determine a Champion, but, that discussion has been happening since the sport was founded in 1948. Regardless of which side anyone falls on, the result remains the same.
Where do all the drivers stand after the first official points race in the standings table?
After winning the opening points race of the season at Daytona by leading one lap, Tyler Reddick made it to the top of the standings. Under the new rules, he managed to pull up 58 points. He pocketed 55 for the win and added three more by finishing Stage 2 in P8. He may have squeezed out at least one more had he landed inside the top 10 in Stage 1, but after getting swept into a Lap 5 crash, Reddick limped the Stage 1 in P20, giving him no extra points.
Rounding out the top 10 are Brad Keselowski with 39 points in sixth despite a P5 finish, followed by his driver, Chris Buescher, in seventh with 39, Bubba Wallace in eighth with 37, Carson Hocevar in ninth with 36, and Ryan Blaney in 10th with 36.
Atlanta could be a springboard for Elliott, who owns an average finish of 11.4 across 14 starts there, with two wins, including one in last year’s fall race, plus three top fives and nine top 10s. The track could also pull Kyle Busch back into contention. Having already shown his speed at Daytona by winning the pole, he may potentially pull it off at the 1.54-mile track. The RCR driver sits P14 in the standings, but with an average finish of 8.8 at Atlanta since 2023 across six starts, the place might finally snap his 94-race drought.
Then again, Connor Zilisch has only one start at the track and came home P11 last year when he made his third Cup start there, making Atlanta a stage where he could stamp his mark.
Ryan Blaney will also have a better chance than anyone else to climb through a win or even points alone at Atlanta. The No. 12 Team Penske driver has one win there from 2021, but consistency has been his strong suit, with seven top fives and nine top 10s in 15 starts. And that puts him in a position to move the needle when the field rumbles into Atlanta.
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The Daytona 500 and Speedweeks may be over, but that doesn’t mean the chaos will cool off for the stars of NASCAR’s three National Series, as they roll into Hampton, Georgia, to the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for one of the schedule’s most unique race weekends.
Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.
One race weekend is in the books, and a 36-week march back to Florida is underway for the three NASCAR National Series. Whether you are going to be at the track or home, what does the forecast look like for the race weekend in Hampton, Georgia?
Before the Races (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
During the Truck Race (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
During the OAP Series Race (5:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
After the Race (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
Before the Race (11:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
During the Race (3:00 PM – 7:00 PM)
After the Race (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
NASCAR got lucky at EchoPark in 2025, and, as a matter of fact, everywhere else, but that doesn’t mean weather hasn’t affected the track’s races in the past with spot showers and major showers taking on race weekends. Take the summer of 2023, when the race took on a large rain shower that resulted in the race ending after just 185 laps, with race winner William Byron the leader at the time of caution.
Note: This article will be updated with a more accurate and detailed forecast as the race weekend nears.
