"We've won three championships" - Ryan Blaney responds to Team Penske criticism amid Joey Logano clinching 2024 title

Ryan Blaney has addressed the criticisms Team Penske receives year in and year out. Amid hateful remarks, Blaney said the team kept delivering, as evidenced by a three-peat Joey Logano fulfilled at Phoenix Raceway.

Blaney is a 30-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver under Team Penske. He drives the No. 12 Ford Mustang alongside teammates Joey Logano in the No. 22 car and Austin Cindric in the No. 2 car.

During the post-race interview at Phoenix Raceway, Ryan Blaney talked about how Team Penske responded to doubters by winning multiple championships.

“We go through it every year… ’22, ’23, and this year we sit around and, beginning of the year and in the summer a little bit and come into playoff time, all of our employees have to sit around and listen to people saying that we suck and we don’t deserve to be here and why are they in the playoffs and all that ****… and we’ve won the last three championships," Blaney said.

The No. 12 Ford Mustang driver added:

“So this team does a great job of rising to doubters.”

After the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Joey Logano was criticized for winning the championship despite not being the top driver stats-wise. Critics brought up Kyle Larson who won more races (six to four) and led more laps (1,700 to 414) than Logano.

Regardless, Ryan Blaney commended Team Penske for winning the championship for three consecutive years. The first championship was with Joey Logano in 2022, followed by Ryan Blaney in 2023. Logano earned a three-peat for the team by winning it all this season.

In addition, the recent championship run marked Joey Logano’s third title in the premier series.

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Ryan Blaney applauded rivals for blocking his way to championship at Phoenix

In the same post-race interview, Ryan Blaney gave his rivals their flowers for the defensive clinics they put on at Phoenix Raceway. Blaney said Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Joey Logano did a good job defending against him, which cost him a chance to go back-to-back.

On the final green flag in the season finale, the No. 12 Ford driver had to pass Larson and Byron to get to second position. While he managed to do so, he didn’t get the lead from Logano, ending the day with a P2 finish after starting the race from P17.

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champ said:

“Everybody put on defensive clinics today. Everybody I tried to pass, everybody did. So props to them for that. They did a great job.”

"It's just what you got to do if you're struggling," he added. "It just buys you time, right? It's just part of the sport, because it's so powerful. The defensive line is so powerful of dirty air. You have to do it if you have a faster car behind you coming down in these moments. So I don't blame them for doing it."

The top five finishers in the championship race at Phoenix Raceway were Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell, respectively.

For the 2025 season, Blaney and Logano, along with teammate Austin Cindric, will be back with Team Penske.