Denny Hamlin wasn’t surprised by Ryan Blaney winning Cup Series championship

Ryan Blaney secured his first NASCAR Cup Series championship after finishing second in Sunday’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Though he led just two laps on the day, Blaney’s No. 12 Ford had the speed to stay near the front of the pack for majority of the day, which ultimately was the difference. Denny Hamlin, who finished eighth, said on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast Tuesday that he wasn’t surprised to see Blaney take home the championship, noting that his car was the best among the four championship contenders.

“I thought that the 12 was methodical in making his way to the front,” Hamlin said. “It was only a matter of time before he got there. If he ever controlled the race, it was going to be a snoozer — I think he was by far the best. … I think the best car of the race won the championship.”

Blaney earned his first Cup Series championship by finishing in front of fellow championship contenders Kyle Larson, William Byron and Christopher Bell. Larson finished third, while Byron followed in fourth, with Bell coming away with a P36 result.

“You never want to count yourself out,” Blaney said after the race. “I mean, I think in the summer we were struggling a little bit. But we never gave up. We just went to work. I’ve said that all week, like, this group goes to work and they figure out problems. That’s why they’re such an amazing group to be with, with the Team Penske folks, ’cause they just put their head down and do the work, accept the challenge.

“That’s what we did. It’s not happenstance we started running good through the playoffs. It was a lot of hard work by a lot of amazing men and women at the shop. I can’t thank them enough for that.”

Ryan Blaney becomes latest Team Penske driver to win NASCAR Cup Series championship

Team Penske now has captured back-to-back championships in the Cup Series for the first time after Joey Logano won his second-career title last season. Blaney was at his best in the final six races of the season, notching two wins, a top-10 and two runner-up finishes.

“He really matured over the last say, two months. He learned how to win. Win fairly and squarely. That racing today was outstanding,” car owner Roger Penske said after the race. “To think about, Kyle Larson came up here, gave him a big thanks. His great buddy [Chase] Elliott did too. But I think being a champion like he is, when he walks in somewhere, he’s going to get the accolades.

“And again, I think in the garage area, his stock is at the highest among these drivers. That’s more important than anything.”