Ryan Blaney revisits his Cup title lift, revealing how he lifted 90-pound trophy in "slippery" conditions with "no place to grab"

After braving the unsettling situation of starting the championship race in 2023 from 15th place, Ryan Blaney bagged a second-place finish at the Phoenix Raceway last year and claimed his maiden Cup Series trophy. However, in his own words, lifting the 90-pound machined aluminum Cup wasn't easy for the Team Penske driver.

Ryan Blaney had started the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race from outside the top 10 but his #12 Ford Mustang steadily rose during the 312-lap dash. After finishing Stage 1 in tenth place and the second stage in sixth, he battled back and forth with Ross Chastain for the pinnacle spot.

Though Blaney passed the Trackhouse Racing driver on Lap 261, the next lap saw the #12 Ford getting loose and Chastain taking the lead back. Despite multiple cautions resetting the field, the Team Penske driver couldn't take the lead and settled in P2. With that, the Ohio native clinched the 2023 title, becoming the first NASCAR Cup champion who didn't win the closing race of the season, since the elimination playoff format came into being 10 years ago.

Shortly after achieving the dream of any Cup Series driver, it was time for Ryan Blaney to lift the 90-pound trophy and accept the championship. But that's where the champion faced problems as he struggled to find a spot to place his hand and raise the trophy.

During revisiting his triumph with hosts of TODAY, the 11x Cup Series race winner revealed his trophy-lifting-misery.

"It's about 90 pounds, there's no good place to grab it either. It's definitely slippery in the victory lane when you got everything going on. But an amazing year last year and trying to figure out how to do it again this year," Blaney said via YouTube (3.23).

Ryan Blaney on his "unbelievable" season after dethroning Kyle Larson from being the 2023 champion by a single point

Not only did Ryan Blaney secure his maiden Cup championship but his triumph also resulted in Team Penske's second consecutive title after Joey Logano's 2022 season win. However, had the #12 Ford driver finished anywhere worse than the runner-up, Kyle Larson would've reigned supreme in the title race and claimed his second Cup after 2021.

Compared to Blaney's 15th-place start, Larson kicked off his run with the frontrunners in fourth place. Moreover, the Hendrick Motorsports driver came home with a fifth-place finish in Stage 1 while the Team Penske driver was in tenth. However, the tables turned on Lap 151 when the #12 Ford Mustang lunged ahead of the #5 Chevrolet Camaro for a sixth-place finish in Stage 2, while the latter settled in seventh.

Post that, Ryan Blaney dominated and chased Ross Chastain for the lead, whereas Kyle Larson tried to close the gap but finished third by a margin of 2.043 seconds.

"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 via NASCAR.

Ryan Blaney is performing strongly this year as well and his seventh place in the Playoff picture has placed him among the championship favorites this year.