Team Penske | Drivers

Birth Date: December 31, 1993
Height: 5'7"
Birth Place: Hartford, OH
Weight: 165 lbs
Residence: Mooresville, NC
Twitter: @blaney
Facebook: @Blaney12
Instagram: @Ryanblaney10
Car: Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Jonathan Hassler
Primary Sponsor: Menards/Advance Auto Parts/BODYARMOR/WURTH/Discount Tire/Wabash/Dent Wizard

Biography

Ryan Blaney, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Champion, will compete in his ninth NCS season in 2024 following an historic year racing the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske. Blaney joined elite company when he captured his first career Cup Series title as he helped Team Penske secure back-to-back NCS championships for the first time in the organization's history. Blaney returns behind the wheel of the No. 12 Menards/Advance Auto Parts/BodyArmor/Wurth/Discount Tire/Wabash/Dent Wizard Ford Mustang as he looks to defend his series title in 2024.

After starting the 2023 season with seven top-10 finishes in the first 13 races, Blaney broke through with a dramatic victory to snap a 59-race winless streak with a dominant performance in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The victory on Memorial Day - the day after Team Penske won its 19th Indianapolis 500 - represented Blaney's eighth career Cup Series win and the first in the series for No. 12 Ford team crew chief Jonathan Hassler.

The Coke 600 win also locked Blaney into the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs - his seventh-career post-season appearance - where he went on a remarkable run to the title. Blaney and the No. 12 Ford Mustang team earned dramatic victories at Talladega in the Round of 12 and Martinsville in the Round of 8 finale to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. It marked the first time that Blaney advanced to the title race following consecutive seasons of seeing his playoff run come to an end one race short of the championship.

Biography

After fighting for the lead throughout the championship race, Blaney earned a second-place finish in Phoenix to claim the crown and earn Team Penske's fourth Cup Series title.

Consistently of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, Blaney's championship performance highlighted his hard work and development since he joined Team Penske in 2012 and the No. 12 Ford team's perseverance and focus as they produced Team Penske's 44th championship in racing.

The 2022 NCS season laid the groundwork for last season's title run as Blaney emerged as one of the most consistent contenders in the Cup Series. Hassler took over as crew chief of the No. 12 Ford Mustang team in 2022, following a successful run as an NCS race engineer with Team Penske and as crew chief for the No. 21 Ford Mustang with the team's technical alliance partner, Wood Brothers Racing, in 2021.

During the 2022 season, Blaney led a race-high 84 laps en route to his first-career NASCAR All-Star Race victory at Texas Motor Speedway, netting the No. 12 team a $1 million payday. Blaney recorded a Cup Series-leading nine stage wins while ranking second with 290 stage points during the 2022 season. His average finishing position of 13.6 - thanks to 12 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes - helped Blaney and the team advance to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Blaney first joined Team Penske as a talented but raw 18-year-old racer, competing in select NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races for the team in 2012. He earned his first victory for Team Penske with an NXS win at Kentucky in 2013 and over the last 11 seasons, Blaney has produced a combined 17 victories and 12 poles across Xfinity Series and Cup Series competition.

In 2015, Blaney firmly established himself as one of NASCAR's rising stars on the strength of 13 NXS starts in the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang for Team Penske. He scored wins at Iowa and Kentucky and posted nine top-five finishes to help the No. 22 team win its third consecutive NXS Owner's title for Team Penske.

Blaney also earned an opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2015 as he made 16 NCS starts for Wood Brothers Racing. Blaney competed in his first full NASCAR Cup Series season in 2016, as he recorded three top-five and nine top-10 finishes for Wood Brothers Racing to finish 20th in the final series point standings. He also posted four top-five and six top-10 results across eight NXS starts for Team Penske.

In 2017, Blaney delivered NASCAR's longest-running team its best season since 1995. Blaney captured his first career NCS victory and the 99th all-time win for Wood Brothers Racing over their nearly 70 years of NASCAR competition with a memorable triumph at Pocono Raceway. Blaney and the No. 21 Ford team raced their way into the Playoffs with a strong regular season and advanced to the Round of 8 before eventually finishing ninth in the driver standings. Blaney also competed in 13 NXS races for Team Penske in 2017 and he earned two wins to help secure the team's fourth series Owner's championship.

For the first time in eight years, Team Penske expanded to a three-car NCS program in 2018 as Blaney raced alongside series championship drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Blaney returned to Victory Lane as the No. 12 Ford team won the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The win allowed Blaney to advance to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs and he eventually finished 10th in the final championship standings.
In 2019, Blaney earned a victory in NASCAR's premier series for the third consecutive season and he also earned an NCS Playoffs spot for the third year in a row. He produced a thrilling victory at Talladega Superspeedway in October that propelled him into the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs.

The 2020 NCS season featured another productive year for the No. 12 Ford Mustang team. Highlighted by his second career win at Talladega, Blaney raced his way into the Playoffs and finished ninth in the series standings for his fourth consecutive top-10 championship season. The performance helped pave the way for the breakout season posted by Blaney and the No. 12 Ford team in 2021.

Blaney established a new single-season career high with three wins in 2021 as he advanced to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs for the second time in his career. An early-season victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway locked Blaney and the No. 12 Ford team into the Playoffs and they continued to produce with wins at Michigan International Speedway and Daytona International Speedway to close out the regular season. In addition to the race victories, Blaney and the team delivered consistently strong results throughout the year as the third-generation racer posted a career-best 20 top-10 finishes.

Blaney has a wide variety of interests outside of the racetrack. His hobbies include anything related to Star Wars, basketball, Ohio State football, music and spending time with his dog Sturgill. He works on several initiatives with the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation to raise awareness and funding for brain health causes with a focus on Alzheimer's Disease and concussions. Blaney has also become an avid golfer, playing regularly with Team Penske INDYCAR driver Scott McLaughlin.

Blaney Key Accomplishments:

Won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship - the first of his career and fourth overall for Team Penske - following a season with a career-best three wins (Charlotte, Talladega 2, Martinsville 2)
Blaney's 2023 Cup Series title marked the first time in Team Penske history that the organization has won back-to-back championships (Joey Logano, 2022)
Won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 2023 to snap a 59-race winless streak while marking the first time an organization has won both the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500 in the same season
Earned his first-career All-Star Race win at Texas Motor Speedway in May of 2022 after leading a race-high 84 laps to secure a one-million-dollar payday for the No. 12 team
Recorded multiple Cup Series wins for the first time in his career with a team-best three victories in 2021
Qualified for the NCS Playoffs in each of the last seven consecutive seasons (2017-2023)
Earned second-consecutive win at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2020 to become the first driver since Jeff Gordon (2007) to post back-to-back victories at the Alabama superspeedway
Won the 2018 Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway - the inaugural Cup Series race hosted on the track's road course configuration
Posted first NCS win in 2017 at Pocono Raceway - the 99th all-time victory for Wood Brothers Racing
Generated four wins in NASCAR Truck Series competition in consecutive seasons from 2012-2015
Named NASCAR Truck Series Most Popular Driver in 2014
Secured seven career NXS victories between 2012-2019 - all while running a limited schedule
Contributed to four of Team Penske's NXS Owner's championships since 2013

Career Highlights

2023 - Wins first career NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) championship and Team Penske's fourth NCS title with a remarkable Playoff run for the No. 12 Ford Mustang team. Wins the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend. Produces impressive NCS Playoff victories at Talladega in the Round of 12 and Martinsville in the Round of 8 finale to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Produces a second-place result at Phoenix to earn the series title and Team Penske's 44th national championship.

2022 - Races way into the NASCAR Playoffs and finishes inside the top 10 in the Cup Series championship standings for the sixth consecutive season. Posts career-best 12 top-10 finishes. Earns first career win in NASCAR All-Star race in a wild overtime finish at Texas Motor Speedway, capturing $1 million prize for the No. 12 Ford Mustang team.

2021 - Scores multiple wins for the first time in Cup Series career, winning at Atlanta, Michigan and Talladega. Collects 24 playoff points through the regular season. Consistently runs at the front of the field through the first seven races of the NASCAR Playoffs before an accident at Kansas prevents the No. 12 Ford team from advancing to the Championship 4. Records a career-high 20 top-10 finishes.

2020 - Posts a NASCAR Cup Series victory and earns a Playoff berth for the fourth-consecutive season. Won at Talladega Superspeedway in June to become the first driver to win back-to-back races at the track since 2007. Records 11 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes in the No. 12 Ford Mustang. Establishes a new career high with 668 laps led on the season. Closes the season ranked ninth in the NCS championship standings to finish inside the top 10 for the fourth consecutive year.

Career Highlights

2019 - Extends streak of NASCAR Cup Series seasons with a win to three consecutive years following a thrilling victory at Talladega Superspeedway in October. The victory propels the No. 12 team into the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs. Finishes a career-best seventh in the final Cup Series championship standings after posting career-highs in top-five (11) and top-10 (18) finishes. Wins the pole at Phoenix in the fourth race of the season.

2018 - Transitions from Wood Brothers Racing to Team Penske, competing in team's third full-season entry in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS). Wins the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway while advancing to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs. Finishes 10th in the final point standings while recording career-bests in top-five finoshes (eight), top-10 results (16), poles (three) and laps led (660). Posts a win and top-four finishes among four starts for Team Penske in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS). Starts from the pole, leads 132 laps and wins at Texas for seventh career NXS victory.

2017 - Has a career year with Team Penske racing alliance partner Wood Brothers Racing, delivering NASCAR’s oldest running team its best season finish since 1995. Starts the season off strong finishing second in the Daytona 500. Captures first Cup Series career pole and Wood Brother Racing’s 117th pole after posting a speed of 189.6 mph to lead qualifying at Kansas Speedway. Earns first Cup Series victory with performance at Pocono Raceway, producing the 99th victory for Wood Brothers Racing. No. 21 team wins second pole of the season at Phoenix International Raceway with a speed of 137.942 mph. Qualifies for the NASCAR Playoffs and makes it through to the Round of 8. Finishes ninth in driver standing with four top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Competes in 13 races for Team Penske in the XFINITY Series. Scores two wins on the year - at Charlotte Motor Speedway and at Dover International Speedway. Closes out the XFINITY Series season with 12 top-five results and an average finish of 4.2 to help secure Team Penske’s fourth NXS Owners Championship.

2016 - Completes his fifth season running a limited schedule in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) for Team Penske. Produces four top-five and six top-10 finishes in eight NXS starts. Completes first full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for Wood Brothers Racing and finishes 20th in points recording three top-five and nine top-10 finishes. Finishes second in the 2016 Rookie of the Year standings.

2015 - Continues to grow as a young driver, competing all three of NASCAR’s top series. Runs a limited schedule in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) for Team Penske. Produces wins at Iowa Speedway and Kentucky Speedway for his third and fourth career series victories. Records nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes with two victories in 13 NXS starts. Helps the No. 22 team capture its third consecutive NXS Owners’ title. Competes in five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races for Brad Keselowski Racing with one win, four top-five and five top-10 finishes. Makes 16 Sprint Cup Series starts for Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske’s technical alliance partner. Produces one top-five and two top-10 finishes in limited action. Named to race full-time in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford this season after completion of the 2015 campaign.

2014 - Races in his third season with Team Penske. Running a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), captures his second series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. Wins his first career pole at Iowa Speedway. In 14 Xfinity Series race starts, posts 10 top-five finishes, 13 top-ten results, one pole, and one win with an average starting position of 5.6 and an average finishing position of 5.8. Strong results help the No. 22 team win its second-straight series Owners' Championship. Runs full season schedule in the Camping World Truck Series (CWTS) for teammate, Brad Keselowski. Sets career-high numbers with one win, 12 top-five finishes, 17 top-10 results and 181 laps led. Finishes second in driver series points and wins Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver award. Makes Sprint Cup Series debut for Team Penske at Kansas Speedway, starts 21st and finishes 27th. Makes his second Cup career start at Talladega Super Speedway, starts fourth and finishes 22nd, leads 15 laps, his first in the Cup Series.

2013 - Captures his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at Kentucky Speedway as he helps the No. 22 Discount Tire/Hertz team capture the NASCAR Nationwide owner’s championship. In three starts for Team Penske, records one victory and three top-10 finishes. Drives for Brad Keselowski Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Series and wins at Pocono for his second career victory to go along with eight top-five finishes over the course of the season.

2012 - Competes in seven NASCAR Nationwide Series races for Team Penske, recording five top-10 finishes and posting a career best runner-up results at Texas Motor Speedway. Earns two additional Nationwide Series top-10 finishes in six races with Tommy Baldwin Racing. Drives for Brad Keselowski Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and earns five top-10 results in nine races while claiming a race victory at Iowa. Drives for his father’s DB Racing team in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and earns two runner-up finishes in five races.

2011 - Wins in just his third race during debut season in NASCAR K&N Pro Series at Phoenix after posting an eighth-place finish in his first race. Competes in the ARCA Series, winning the pole at Winchester and leads 154 of 200 laps before a cut tire results in a sixth-place finish. Earns a runner-up result at Lucas Oil Raceway behind series champion Ty Dillon. Captures the PASS South Super Late Model Championship after he wins twice and posts six top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

2010 - Wins the 2010 CRA Southern Six-Pack Championship with one race victory. Finishes second in PASS South points standings as he records three wins and finishes in the top-10 nine times in 13 races.

2009 - Wins PASS South Rookie of the Year honors and finishes as series runnerup with 12 top-10 finishes in 14 starts while placing third in the overall PASS National standings. Wins the Eastern Grand National Championship in Heavy AA Series and Eastern Grand A-Main Qualifier in World Formula and Junior Half. Posts over 100 victories over three classes.

2008 - Produces four top-10 finishes in six starts during his debut Late Model season. Wins the 2008 Eastern Grand A-Main Qualifier in Light AA.

2007 - Earns Young Lions Winter Heat Point Championship and captures the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Young Lion Summer Shootout. Wins the World Formula Gasoline Alley National Championship.

2022 NASCAR Cup Series Season Statistics

Date	Event	Start	Finish	Points (Behind)	Rank (+/-)
2/6/22	Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum	13	17	NA	NA
2/17/22	Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 at DAYTONA	7	3	NA	NA
2/20/22	DAYTONA 500	7	4	41 (-13)	6 (--)
2/27/22	WISE Power 400	6	18	70 (-15)	4 (+2)
3/6/22	Pennzoil 400	11	36	75 (-38)	13 (-9)
3/13/22	Ruoff Mortgage 500	1	4	118 (-18)	7 (+6)
3/20/22	Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500	2	17	148 (-23)	6 (+1)
3/27/22	EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix	1	6	195 (-13)	2 (+4)
4/3/22	Toyota Owners 400	1	7	241 (--)	1 (+1)
4/9/22	Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500	12	4	285 (-3)	2 (-1)
4/17/22	Food City Dirt Race	25	5	321 (-3)	2 (--)
4/24/22	GEICO 500	22	11	347 (-21)	2 (--)
5/1/22	Dover 400	5	26	368 (-50)	2 (--)
5/8/22	Goodyear 400	7	17	388 (-65)	3 (-1)
5/15/22	AdventHealth 400	10	12	423 (-52)	2 (+1)
5/22/22	NASCAR All-Star Race	2	1	NA	NA
5/29/22	Coca-Cola 600	11	29	436 (-53)	4 (--)
6/5/22	Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway	5	4	479 (-28)	4 (--)
6/12/22	Toyota / Save Mart 350	14	6	511 (-25)	4 (--)
6/26/22	Ally 400	6	3	555 (-31)	3 (+1)
7/3/22	Kwik Trip 250 presented by JOCKEY Made in America	19	11	591 (-33)	2 (+1)
7/10/22	Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart	6	5	637 (-47)	2 (--)
7/17/22	Foxwoods Casino Resort 301	11	18	656 (-78)	3 (-1)
7/24/22	M&Ms Fan Appreciation 400	6	33	676 (-111)	3 (--)
7/31/22	Verizon 200 at the Brickyard	6	26	696 (-125)	2 (+1)
8/7/22	FireKeepers Casino 400	24	5	728 (-119)	2 (--)
8/14/22	Federated Auto Parts 400	10	10	766 (-116)	2 (--)
8/21/22	Go Bowling at the Glen	26	24	779 (-143)	3 (-1)
8/27/22	Coke Zero Sugar 400	16	15	2013 (-27)	7 (-4)
9/4/22	Southern 500	9	13	2047 (-18)	6 (+1)
9/11/22	Hollywood Casino 400	17	9	2086 (-22)	5 (+1)
9/17/22	Bass Pro Shops Night Race	6	30	3013 (-27)	8 (-3)
9/25/22	AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500	14	4	3056 (-15)	5 (+3)
10/2/22	YellaWood 500	19	2	3101 (-2)	2 (+3)
10/9/22	Bank of America ROVAL 400	6	26	4015 (-31)	5 (-3)
10/16/22	South Point 400	4	28	4040 (-44)	7 (-2)
10/23/22	Dixie Vodka 400	13	17	4069 (-37)	6 (+1)
10/30/22	Xfinity 500	4	3	2300 (-2700)	8 (-2)
11/6/22	NASCAR Cup Series Championship	2	2	2354 (-2686)	8 (--)