Ryan Blaney entered the ongoing Ryan Blaney NASCAR championship format debate this week, addressing criticism of the current playoff system during an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Touching on the ongoing argument about how NASCAR crowns its champions, Blaney firmly rebuffed beliefs that recent championship wins, including his own, should be dismissed as less legitimate.
Blaney Responds to Criticism of the Playoff Era
The current playoff format has fueled debate within the world of motorsports, especially after Joey Logano’s latest NASCAR Cup Series championship win at Phoenix. Logano, representing Team Penske, clinched his third title despite having the lowest average finish—17.1—by any champion to date. This has amplified claims from some fans and observers that drivers under the post-2004 playoff format, which was designed to emphasize winning individual races during the postseason, are less deserving than those who won titles under the previous full-season points system.
Blaney, confronting these assertions, stated,
“What kind of bugs me a little bit is the people that are so diehard on, like, ‘If you won a championship in this format that we have now, oh, it’s a Mickey Mouse championship and it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t count,’”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Cup Series Champion. He emphasized fairness, underscoring that every competitor deals with the same playoff system, pointing out,
“It’s like, man, everyone has the same opportunity as the guy who won it. This isn’t the full season points. Like everyone always talks about like, ‘Oh, this guy, he would have won the full season points.’ Like, well, that’s great. But we haven’t used that format in 20 years.”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
The elimination-based playoff format, adopted in 2014, narrows the championship field to 16 drivers, qualifying those who secure at least one regular season win. Performances in the postseason then determine who advances, with an intense focus on race victories and clutch performances.
Blaney’s Performance in the 2023 Season and Playoffs
Blaney captured the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship, despite not being the regular season‘s dominant force. His campaign intensified during the playoffs, making a strong case for the current system. He won two of the final ten races and secured two runner-up finishes, capping his effort with a second-place result at the season finale in Phoenix, which clinched the championship for him and Team Penske.
Reflecting on his journey, Blaney shared,
“… I look at our championship as like, we had a good year, and we even had a better playoffs than everybody else. And we rose to the occasion when we needed to, and we dug in, and we were the best car during the playoffs and had some big wins and I was able to get the championship.”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
Openness to Potential Format Changes
While Blaney stands by his title and the legitimacy of championships awarded under the playoff system, he acknowledged room for improvement in how NASCAR selects its champion. The winner-take-all structure of the final race is not his preferred approach; instead, he advocates for a format that builds more on consistency over the concluding weeks.
Addressing his critics, Blaney remarked,
“I mean, everyone can have their opinion,”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Cup Series Champion, and admitted the doubt from some fans affects him:
“It gets under my skin a little bit when they’re like, ‘You guys didn’t deserve that championship.’ It’s like, what are you talking about, man? Like we went through the grinder, everyone digs in. And we were resilient when it mattered.”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
As he reflected on alternative championship setups, Blaney added,
“Do I have my ideal like championship format? Yeah,”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Cup Series Champion. He highlighted his preference for the original “Chase” format, saying,
“Like my opinion on it, I was a huge fan of the initial Chase. Last 10 weeks of the year, you kind of have somewhat of a reset in points and then you go 10 races and whoever had the best 10 races was going to win the championship.”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
Implications and Future of the Championship Format
The debate over how NASCAR’s champion should be chosen is likely to continue as drivers, teams, and fans all bring their own perspectives. Blaney’s championship defense comes as the playoff system remains a flashpoint, with key figures like Paul Finebaum, Kirk Herbstreit, Curt Cignetti, and others regularly weighing in on competitive fairness in high-stakes sports environments. The inclusion of high-profile events, such as season finale championships in Phoenix, and the broader context of recent on- and off-track headlines, ensures the format will stay under scrutiny as future seasons unfold.
Looking forward, NASCAR may face increasing pressure from both drivers and fans to revisit the structure, balancing the excitement of a winner-take-all race with recognition for season-long consistency. For now, competitors like Blaney remain determined to prove their titles are hard-earned, regardless of the ongoing Ryan Blaney NASCAR championship format debate, and that resilience and performance under pressure define a true champion.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Has Ryan Blaney ever won Talladega?
A. Blaney secured victory at the Talladega fall race by just 0.007 seconds ahead of Ryan Newman. Despite an early spin onto pit road, he moved into the Round of 8.
Q. Has Ryan Blaney ever won a NASCAR race?
A. In 2023, Blaney earned his first Cup title by finishing second at Phoenix Raceway. He also secured an exhibition victory at the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race in Texas.
