NASCAR Cup Series: Ryan Blaney nearly ended a 66-year streak
As a seasoned racer with countless laps under my belt, I must say, this year’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway was a heart-stopping spectacle. The nail-biting finish between Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano brought back memories of the 1956 and 1957 races, where the same set of champions reigned supreme in NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula 1.
In yesterday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway, Ryan Blaney of Team Penske came a mere 0.330 seconds short of teammate Joey Logano, who ultimately clinched his third career title.
Blaney got an opportunity to be the first driver since Jimmie Johnson (from 2006-2010) to win five championships in succession. Additionally, he had a shot at breaking a record that began in 1958, but unfortunately, the record for consecutive years without a repeat champion has now extended to 67 years.
In just a single instance throughout the histories of NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula 1, the same driver has claimed the championship across multiple seasons. This unique occurrence took place during two consecutive years, specifically in 1956 and 1957.
1956 and 1957 saw impressive victories in their respective top racing series: Buck Baker claimed the NASCAR Cup Series titles, Jimmy Bryan secured the USAC Championship Car (IndyCar) championships, while Juan Manuel Fangio emerged triumphant in the Formula 1 world championships.
We have never seen the same set of champions in any two seasons since, yet it nearly happened again in back-to-back seasons.
Last year, Blaney clinched the title for the Cup Series championship, whereas Alex Palou secured the IndyCar championship in addition to the Formula 1 world championship for Max Verstappen. Interestingly enough, Palou repeated his success by winning this year’s IndyCar championship again.
2024 Formula 1 champion Verstappen hasn’t sealed the deal yet, but he merely needs to steer clear of a major collapse during the last three race events of the season. With a 62-point advantage over Lando Norris from McLaren and 86 points still up for grabs, as long as he keeps racing, securing his fourth consecutive title should be relatively straightforward.
So had Blaney won on Sunday, it would have done everything but officially seal the deal.
Since Joey Logano was declared the Cup Series champion this year, the tradition of a series champ also winning in IndyCar or Formula 1 will carry on for another year at least. Back in 2018, when he claimed his first championship, Scott Dixon won the IndyCar title and Lewis Hamilton secured the Formula 1 world championship. In 2022, as he bagged his second title, Will Power took home the IndyCar crown and Verstappen clinched the Formula 1 championship.
The upcoming 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off on Sunday, February 16, marking the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Live broadcast will be provided by Fox.
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2024-11-13 16:02