“He failed miserably”: When Ryan Blaney had the last laugh after encounter with ‘hack’ Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney eyed to clinch the 2023 playoff race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway but his final stage battle against Denny Hamlin didn't let the pursuit materialize. But despite Joe Gibbs Racing driver's hard racing, the Team Penske driver was the one to cherish the last laugh.
Blaney and Hamlin began their second Round of 8 race, the 4EVER 400, in 10th and 11th places, respectively. Notably, both drivers were fighting for their maiden NASCAR Cup Series title, and Kyle Larson secured a spot following the Las Vegas win which only added to the fierceness of the Homestead race.
However, things changed at the Homestead track after the Hendrick Motorsports driver crashed into the sand barrels while entering the pitlane. A caution was raised, bringing Hamlin and Blaney next to the other on the restart. The #12 Ford driver led the restart but the #11 Toyota driver took the lead and held it for a couple of turns until another yellow was prompted, courtesy of the transpiring events following JJ Yeley's spin.
The race restarted again and once again, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin fought for the lead. This time, however, the latter continued moving Blaney up the track. But that opened the room for Christopher Bell, who made a big lunge to take charge of the pack.
The battle between JGR and Penske was still going. However, a mechanical failure crippled Hamlin's Camry and he rammed into the Turn 1 wall from third place. Blaney couldn't regain the lead but salvaged a runner-up finish. Meanwhile, Hamlin succumbed to a DNF.
Blaney was frustrated by Hamlin's hard racing. He didn't hold back from ridiculing the JGR driver for 'failing miserably' in the final stage battle, saying (via Frontstretch).
“He tried to slide me two or three times and failed miserably and then just decided to use me up. I mean, if you’re gonna slide somebody, slide somebody and commit. Don’t halfway do it and use me up,” Blaney said (0:51).
“So, what did he say?” the Team Penske driver asked rhetorically. “Hack? I think he was that today.”
Blaney would ace the following race at the Martinsville Speedway to punch his first Championship 4 ticket as a title contender, while Hamlin couldn't make it past the Round of 8.
Ryan Blaney on 'unbelievable' year after registering his maiden Cup Series title in 2023
Ryan Blaney's odds of advancing to the Championship Race were slim owing to the runner-up finish at Homestead-Miami. Furthermore, the chances were further trimmed following the #12 Ford driver's 11th-place pace during the qualifying round. Nonetheless, he surged to the top, dethroning Aric Almirola by 0.899 seconds.
The season-end showdown happened at the Phoenix Raceway, with Blaney, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Christopher Bell eyeing the highly-coveted Cup Series trophy. The rule was simple -the highest Championship 4 finisher will become the champion.
Bell was out due to a DNF. The remaining three fought until the Ross Chastain took the checkered flag. Ryan Blaney etched the championship by finishing second, Larson came third, and Byron fell from a pole start to a P4 finish.
“Unbelievable year, unbelievable playoffs for us. To win back-to-back Cup titles for (team owner Roger) Penske, that’s so special. Having my family here, winning my first Cup title, I got emotional in the car. I’m not a very emotional guy," Blaney said of his title via NASCAR.
Ryan Blaney's title marked Team Penske's second consecutive Cup trophy after Joey Logano began the streak in 2022. It's worth mentioning that Penske's string of dominance is still alive as Logano became the 2024 Cup Series champion.