Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 NASCAR Ford Mustang, raced his way into the Cup Series Championship 4 after a stellar season with two race wins, capping off this year’s run with an average finishing position of fourth over the final six races. While he finished second overall in the race at Phoenix Raceway on November 5th, 2023, his performance at the one-mile oval track was enough to add the championship to his list of accomplishments.
Racing against Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevy Camaro, William Byron’s No. 24 Camaro and Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota TRD Camry in the final round of the championship, Blaney made the crucial pass on Lap 292 of 312 laps, putting Larson and the others in his rearview.
He wasn’t able to reel in the No. 1 Camaro of Ross Chastain, who crossed the line ahead of Blaney for the race win, but he did keep the other Championship 4 contenders behind him. In fact, Blaney and Chastain traded paint during the race, which Blaney admitted he “did on purpose” in a postrace interview.
“It was somewhat of an up and down year, but you’re going to have those moments,” said Blaney after the race. “Through the summer, we just worked really hard to get back to where we needed to be and set a deadline for the Playoffs and we met that deadline.”
Blaney’s championship win marks the 11th for Ford with nine different drivers, and the second consecutive Cup Series win for his team, Penske Racing, following Joey Logano’s victory in 2022.
“We didn’t win as many races as we would have liked to this year, but to win three championships just makes a statement about the team we have at Ford Performance and the partnership and the family that we have racing our cars and trucks on track, so I’m really proud of what everybody has done” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “Things could have gone in any direction, but Ryan was so strong today that he was driving to the front on every run and he was racing hard against everybody. He certainly earned the championship today.”
Ford went three for three in NASCAR championships in 2023, with Cole Custer’s No. 00 Mustang winning the Xfinity Series championship and Ben Rhodes taking the Truck Series in the No. 99 Ford F-150.
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Worldwide Express Chevrolet | 312 | 157 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 2 | 15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Menards/Dutch Boy Ford | 312 | 2 | Ford Mustang |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 4 | 1 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Axalta Chevrolet | 312 | 95 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 5 | 9 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Fastenal Ford | 312 | 18 | Ford Mustang |
| 6 | 2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops Toyota | 312 | 1 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 7 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Busch Light Harvick Ford | 312 | 23 | Ford Mustang |
| 8 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Toyota | 312 | 14 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 9 | 19 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Love's/Delo Ford | 312 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 10 | 5 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota | 312 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 11 | 16 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 12 | 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Get Bioethanol Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 13 | 28 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Smithfield Ford | 312 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 14 | 12 | 41 | Ryan Preece | United Rentals Ford | 312 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 15 | 31 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Castrol Edge Ford | 312 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 16 | 20 | 9 | Chase Elliott | NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 17 | 23 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Ally Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 18 | 17 | 22 | Joey Logano | Shell Pennzoil Ford | 312 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 19 | 22 | 42 | Carson Hocevar(i) | Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 20 | 7 | 43 | Erik Jones | Allegiant Allways Rewards Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 21 | 11 | 54 | Ty Gibbs # | Monster Energy Toyota | 312 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 22 | 10 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | Toyota Toyota | 312 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 23 | 24 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Fry's/Cheez-It Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 24 | 26 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Mahindra Tractors Ford | 312 | 2 | Ford Mustang |
| 25 | 18 | 8 | Kyle Busch | 3CHI Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 26 | 25 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford | 311 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 27 | 34 | 15 | JJ Yeley(i) | Total Point/Patriot Mobile Ford | 311 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 28 | 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Gainbridge Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 29 | 35 | 31 | Justin Haley | Campers Inn RV Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 30 | 14 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Boot Barn Ford | 309 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 31 | 29 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | NEGU Chevrolet | 308 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 32 | 32 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Action Industries Chevrolet | 308 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 33 | 36 | 78 | BJ McLeod(i) | Pala Casino Chevrolet | 306 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 34 | 30 | 51 | Ryan Newman(i) | Serial 1 E-Bikes Ford | 305 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 35 | 27 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Discount Tire Ford | 301 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 36 | 13 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Rheem/DEWALT Toyota | 108 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
P – Playoffs eligible
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