Ryan Blaney silenced all the doubters – and now he’s a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
One year after unforced errors ended his playoff run in the Round of 8, the Team Penske driver showed mental toughness over multiple months to claim his first title at Phoenix Raceway. In Sunday’s championship race, Blaney overcame pit road setbacks and on-track battles to finish second in the race behind Ross Chastain (who wasn’t competing for the title).
Blaney, 29, finished just ahead of fellow title contenders Kyle Larson in third and William Byron in fourth. Chastain, meanwhile, became the first driver not eligible for the championship to win the last race of the season under the current playoff format (since 2014).
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We all know who No. 1 will be, but how does the field stack up behind the champion? Here’s our final NASCAR power rankings of the 2023 season:
1. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 2
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The summer months weren’t kind to Blaney. From June 11 at Sonoma Raceway to Sept. 24 at Texas Motor Speedway – a span of 15 races – he finished no better than ninth in a race. But Blaney closed the season with finishes of first, 12th, sixth, second, first and second. Talk about peaking at the right time. While Blaney might not have had the best overall season, he had a championship-worthy stretch when the lights were brightest.
2. Kyle Larson
Last week: 1
Larson and the No. 5 team did everything they possibly could at Phoenix. The car was just a tick slower than Blaney’s, but a quick final pit stop put Larson in position to potentially steal his second title. After a great restart moved him up to second place, a hard-charging Blaney was simply too fast to hold off for the final 20 laps.
3. William Byron
Last week: 4
Everything went perfectly for Byron… until the track cooled off. He started on the pole and led the opening 92 laps while winning Stage 1. But the No. 24 car lost speed as the day wore on, fading to finish fourth in the race. While the end result is disappointing, the 25-year-old Byron had a breakout season with six wins. He’ll likely be back in the Championship 4 soon enough.
4. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 5
After getting eliminated last week, Hamlin was out of the spotlight in Phoenix. He finished eighth and secured fifth-place in the points standings behind the Championship 4 drivers. For the 42-year-old Hamlin, this will go down as another missed opportunity to win his first title. There’s no telling how many more prime years he has left behind the wheel.
5. Chris Buescher
Last week: 6
Buescher capped his career season with a fifth-place finish at Phoenix. In 2023, he set personal best marks in wins (3), top-fives (9), top-10s (17), laps led (255), average start (14.8), average finish (12.1) and final points standings position (7th). Now that he’s had the breakout season, Buescher and RFK Racing will face heightened expectations in 2024 and beyond.
6. Christopher Bell
Last week: 3
The fourth championship contender didn’t even have a chance to compete on Sunday. Bell had a brake failure on lap 110, which sent him hard into the wall and ended his title hopes. Before the accident, Bell was running right with the other three finalists. He’ll have a long offseason of wondering what could have been.
7. Martin Truex Jr.
Last week: 7
Truex’s best run of the playoffs came the week after he was eliminated. The 2023 regular season champion finished sixth at Phoenix, which was his best finish since August. Truex, 43, will be back with Joe Gibbs Racing next season after contemplating retirement.
8. Ross Chastain
Last week: first four out
Usually, drivers outside of the title fight will race with caution. Chastain is not a usual driver. He raced hard, but fair, with Blaney and others in his rearview mirror throughout the final stage. Chastain’s aggressive approach paid off with his fourth career victory and second of the season. Trackhouse Racing needed a win like this after an up-and-down season.
9. Bubba Wallace
Last week: 10
Wallace’s 10th-place finish on Sunday gave him 10 top-10s in 2023, matching a career-high. He also set personal bests in laps led (285), average starts (12.4), average finish (15.9) and final points standings position (10th). The 23XI Racing driver made the most of his playoff debut and should be even stronger next season as he’s in the midst of his prime years.
10. Kevin Harvick
Last week: First four out
Phoenix was a fitting track for Harvick’s final NASCAR race. The 2014 champion finished seventh, which extended his record to 21 straight top 10s at the track – where he also has a record nine wins. Harvick led 23 laps in the race before celebrating on pit road with family, friends and competitors. His next stop is the FOX Sports broadcast booth, with induction into the Hall of Fame coming as soon as he’s eligible.
First four out: Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott
