Ryan Blaney finished the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season in extremely impressive fashion.
The only problem? Barely anyone noticed.
An afterthought in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway after being eliminated in the Round of 8, Blaney quietly won the race.
The victory, which came on a day when four other drivers battled for the championship, capped a highly successful 2025 for Blaney and his No. 12 Team Penske team.
And, perhaps even more importantly, it gave Blaney’s bunch a lot of momentum headed into the offseason and leading into 2026.
2025 Was A Career Season For Ryan Blaney
Although Ryan Blaney fell short of his ultimate goal of capturing his second NASCAR Cup Series championship, the second-generation driver enjoyed a banner year.
On top of going out with a win and making a deep playoff run, Blaney went to Victory Lane four times — the most he’s ever been there in a single season. The 31-year-old from High Point, North Carolina also posted career highs in top-fives (15) and laps led (852) on the way to a sixth-place points finish.
“I’m very, very proud of our year,” Blaney said at Phoenix after the last race. “I felt like our team in ’24 was stronger than what we were in ’23. And I feel like this year we were even better than what we were last year.
“All I’ve always tried to look for is how is our 15 or so guys operating together. Are we communicating well, giving all the effort we can be giving through the week and on the weekend? That part is just getting better and better.”
Blaney seemed to get better the longer the season went, collecting three of his four trophies in the final 11 weeks. All this bodes extremely well for Blaney as he looks ahead to 2026.
“I’m really lucky to be part of such a great group with my 12 car, and also all of Team Penske,” Blaney said. They’ve just done a fantastic job. I’m very proud of this whole group.
“It’s great to go out with a win and carry some momentum into next year. We’ll look at some things that we think we can improve. Try to keep building better and better every single year. Whether it was a great year or a terrible year, you just try to get better.”
What an incredible way to wrap up the 2025 season. Sharing that Victory Lane moment with the 12 Team and RP is a reminder of how truly special we are @team_penske. Thanks to all of our partners and fans for an unforgettable year. pic.twitter.com/cD7Ki99Ne5
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) November 3, 2025
Triumphing At Phoenix Was A Big Deal For Ryan Blaney
With all eyes focused on the Championship 4, Ryan Blaney’s triumph at Phoenix failed to get a lot of attention.
But for Blaney, it marked a personal milestone.
That’s because he had finished second in the season finale the last three years, each time coming up one position short of a victory. This was even the case in 2023, when a second-place finish at Phoenix was enough for him to claim the Cup Series championship.
“It’s nice to finally get in Victory Lane here after being so close for a number of years,” Blaney said. “Those things kind of stick in your brain a little bit. We’ve had a shot to win at these certain places a handful of times. But we haven’t really been able to get the job done.
“It’s nice when you can finally do it and break through. And win at a track where you’ve had one of the best cars for the last handful of years.”
Despite not being part of the Championship 4, Blaney walked away from the final race feeling good about the weekend and what he accomplished in 2025.
“Even though we weren’t a part of the championship, we were determined to try to end the year for Ford and Team Penske with a win,” he said. “Fortunately, we were able to do that. We did a great job.”
