Ryan Blaney: Wins 2023 Cup Series Championship

By virtue of finishing second in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway Sunday afternoon, Blaney was declared the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Analysis:

Blaney ended the season as the hottest driver in the series down the stretch and it would pay off Sunday at Phoenix. The Penske Racing youngster started 15th on the grid but would quickly penetrate the Top 10 and stay there the remainder of the day. Blaney would claw his way forward in stage 3 and find himself racing among the leaders at the end. He would fall 1.2-seconds short of Ross Chastain, but still earned the impressive runner-up finish and clinched the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship.