Ryan Blaney Stuns the NASCAR World with ‘Ironic’ Victory at Phoenix!
In a jaw-dropping twist that left fans on the edge of their seats, Ryan Blaney clinched an unexpected victory at Sunday’s championship race in Phoenix, despite not being a contender for the title. The final overtime restart proved to be the turning point for Blaney, who admitted to struggling with restarts throughout the day. “It’s ironic we won it on a restart, because we were terrible on restarts all day,” Blaney candidly revealed in a post-race interview with NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck.
This win marks a significant milestone for Blaney, as he became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to triumph in the grand finale without being a championship contender. The 2023 season saw Ross Chastain take home the coveted title, but Blaney flipped the narrative in 2025 by avenging a previous season’s defeat against Kyle Larson, the reigning Cup Series champion. “It’s nice to finally get in Victory Lane here after being so close for a number of years,” Blaney expressed, reflecting on his past near-misses. “Those things kind of stick in your brain a little bit. We’ve had a shot to win at these certain places a handful of times, but we haven’t really been able to get the job done.”
The thrilling race concluded with Blaney crossing the finish line triumphantly, leaving behind a competitive field that included notable drivers like Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch. Denny Hamlin, who has been in the spotlight for being the longest-tenured driver without a championship, finished sixth, a disappointing result for the pole sitter who dominated the race by leading 208 of the 312 laps and winning Stage 2.
Ryan Blaney empathized with Hamlin’s plight, recognizing the cruel nature of racing. “Yeah, you do have to feel for that group and Denny,” he said. “Doing a good job all day, it not playing out for him. But that is racing. It sucks sometimes. They can hang their head about it, but they should be very proud about the effort they put in today. They had the fastest race car here. Just one of those things where it doesn’t work out.”
As Denny Hamlin approaches his 45th birthday, the pressure mounts for him to secure a championship before retirement, making this latest setback particularly poignant. Meanwhile, the spotlight shifts to Kyle Larson, now a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, who made history as the first competitor to win the title without leading a single lap in the 11-year existence of the elimination-style playoffs.
With the NASCAR season now in the rearview mirror, all eyes turn to the upcoming 68th running of the Daytona 500, set for February 15, 2026. Will Blaney and his team capitalize on this momentum, or will Denny Hamlin finally break through to claim the championship he so desperately seeks? One thing’s for sure: the drama of NASCAR continues to unfold, and fans can’t look away!
