Ryan Blaney admits he was ‘surprised’ he broke into tears after the 2023 Cup title triumph

Ryan Blaney was emotionally overwhelmed after his maiden title win at Phoenix.

Ryan Blaney admits he was ‘surprised’ he broke into tears after the 2023 Cup title triumph

Ryan Blaney (Via IMAGO)

The 2023 season witnessed the rise of a new NASCAR champion. Roger Penske’s driver Ryan Blaney secured the title finishing second in the season finale at Phoenix behind race winner Ross Chastain. It completed the Ford sweep of championships in all three national series and the first back-to-back Cup NASCAR championship win by Team Penske Racing.

The race was an emotional rollercoaster for Blaney who is infamous for his short-fused nature while racing at the track. The tough season he had, the hard battle with Chastain for the win in the finale, and the title win were overwhelming for the No:12 Mustang driver. It was enough to make him cry and even Blaney himself was surprised about it.

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In a recent interview, the champion driver said that overcoming emotions is pretty rare in his case and hence he was surprised he cried at the moment. He went on to point out that he was emotional because he was proud of the sacrifices his team made to help him win the championship in a season that has been tough for all Ford teams.

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Yeah, I cried, and that was a surprise. I was just overcome with it, and that's pretty rare for me to get to that emotional standpoint, but I’m just so proud of the effort of so many people. You get to thinking about those folks and all they've sacrificed to put you in this spot. It was definitely an emotional time.
Blaney told People Magazine.

Ryan Blaney is working on another emotional aspect of him

Blaney’s short fuse nature is something he wasn’t able to rectify and has more control over it. He wants this part of his character out of his life but he understands it is hard for him to do so. The Ford driver cares so much about rectifying it.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps gives Ryan Blaney the 2023 Cup title
NASCAR President Steve Phelps gives Ryan Blaney the 2023 Cup title (Via IMAGO)
It's just one of those things that I try to get better at. It's hard to do for me. I just care about it so much... it’s something I'm working on, but it's hard to get those things out of you.

Blaney pointed out that he believes he got this character from his father and ex-NASCAR driver Dave Blaney. He says both of them get too passionate about things they love and racing is at the top of the list.

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