"I don't think there's any luck": Ryan Blaney puts his first NASCAR Championship 4 appearance down to on-track performances

Ryan Blaney of Team Penske clinched his first-ever NASCAR Championship 4 appearance with an emphatic win at the Xfinity 500 on Sunday night.

As he celebrated his triumph, Blaney was quick to quash any chatter of mere luck propelling him to this juncture in his career.

During a post-race press conference, a reporter compared Blaney's recent string of successes to the "lucky horseshoe". The term, coined by Kevin Harvick, is associated with racing legend Jimmie Johnson.

Blaney was quick to respond and said:

"What’s been lucky about it?"

Indeed, Ryan Blaney's journey to the Championship Four is something way beyond mere luck. The driver of the #12 Ford Mustang arrived at Martinsville with a slim 10-point cushion above the cutline.

At the end of the day, the Team Penske ace's triumphant victory was enough for him to seal his spot in the final four.

Reflecting on his recent accomplishments, Blaney stated:

"I don’t think anything has been lucky about it. The last three weeks we’ve been running amazing. We ran up front in Vegas. We had a chance to win at Homestead. We won today. I don’t think there’s any luck that goes into this. There may be lucky moments, but I don’t think a horseshoe is really true at all."

Ryan Blaney reflects on Team Penske's efforts throughout the season

The 29-year-old highlighted the dedication exhibited by his team. The collective effort invested in refining the speed and performance of the #12 Ford Mustang was a pivotal factor in this season's success.

Ryan Blaney said:

"We’ve worked really hard to get to the point that we need to with speed, and our group has executed very good races. They deserve to be here."

He showered praises on his crew's efforts and stated:

"I mean, yeah, luck, you can interpret luck how you want. The performance side, you still have to bring fast race cars, race cars capable to win. We’ve done that. I think that is the biggest thing about our success is everyone’s done a good job of figuring out how to get better, where to be better, applying it and having fast cars."

With the Championship Four now firmly in his sights, Ryan Blaney will have his eyes set on winning the first NASCAR Cup Series Championship of his career.

The Team Penske driver will face Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and William Byron in the season finale at the iconic Phoenix Raceway.