“Back-to-back Cup titles for Mr. Penske”: Ryan Blaney can’t wait to get party started as he becomes 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion

Ryan Blaney, the driver of the #12 Ford Mustang for Roger Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, clinched his first-ever championship title at Phoenix Raceway. Managing to bring home back-to-back titles for his team and owner, the 29-year-old managed to hold the competition that mattered during the finale at the Avondale, Arizona track.

Despite finishing in P2 after Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain took the checkered flag in P1, Blaney managed to clinch the Bill France trophy as he fended off Kyle Larson during the final laps of the event.

With William Byron falling to a P4 finish after a quick pitstop by the #5 crew of Larson allowed him to jump his teammate, the #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver was relegated out of contention as the white flag flew.

Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell's season came to an end with a brake rotor explosion that caused the #20 team to retire from the race in the second stage. Mechanical failures have been the Achilles heel for Coach Gibbs' team late this season.

Climbing out of his car after an emotional cooldown lap, Ryan Blaney congratulated his team owner Roger Penske, and looked forward to celebrating with his team. He elaborated in an interview with NBC Sports via the NASCAR on TSN X (formerly Twitter) handle:

"Proud of this team. What an unbelievable year, what an unbelievable playoffs for us. To win back-to-back Cup titles for Mr. Penske, that's so special and to have my family here winning my first Cup title, I got emotional in the car. Can't wait to celebrate with my guys," Blaney said.

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Ryan Blaney touches on respectful racing among NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 drivers

In stark contrast to what the weekend had in store for its fans on Friday and Saturday, the NASCAR Cup Series championship finale at Phoenix Raceway produced some of the cleanest racing of the sport.

With Ryan Blaney challenging Kyle Larson and William Byron for the ultimate title in stock car racing, both drivers appreciated the Championship 4 contenders' racing etiquette.

Ryan Blaney elaborated on the same in an interview with NBC Sports as he got out of his car and said:

"I want to shout out also Kyle (Larson) and William (Byron), it was fun racing those guys all day, and the #20, (Christopher) Bell, unfortunately he broke but racing those two guys at the end there, racing clean, that's what racing is all about."

With Ryan Blaney clinching the title on Sunday, Ford as a manufacturer has managed to sweep all three nationwide series titles in 2023.