Ryan Blaney becomes only driver to win at Iowa Speedway in all three NASCAR series
On Sunday night, Ryan Blaney earned his first win of the season at Iowa Speedway. He also made NASCAR history in the process. Now Blaney is the only driver with a win in the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series at Iowa.
Since this was the first-ever Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, it is a very exclusive club for the time being. There are many drivers in the Cup Series who won at Iowa in Xfinity or in the Truck Series. However, Blaney has now gone for the Triple Crown, so to speak.
That first win came in the Truck Series with Brad Keselowski Racing in 2012. It was Blaney’s first national series win in NASCAR. Then, in 2015, Blaney got it done for Team Penske in the No. 22 car in the Xfinity Series.
Now, nine years after that last win and 12 years after the first, Ryan Blaney gets it done in the Cup Series. 201 laps led on his way to victory in what was also one of his most dominant wins in recent memory.
Blaney was relieved to have won after the Gateway debacle. While he spoke, he was out of breath.
“Yeah, definitely. Man, what a cool way to win here,” Blaney said. He took two tires on the final pit stop leading to the win. “This place means a lot to me, means a lot to my mom. We got a lot of people here tonight cheering us on. They willed us to that one.
“Overall really appreciate all the 12 boys. Car was really fast through the night. Got a little bit better throughout the night, with two tires. It was a good call. I didn’t know how well I was going to hold on. I started to struggle a little bit at the end. Had enough to hang on. So proud of the effort.”
Ryan Blaney makes history at his ‘home’ track
Even in the moment, Ryan Blaney recognized his historic feat. When asked about his burnout, a rare occurrence from the driver, he responded. Blaney’s mom is from Iowa and this track is like a distant home track for the driver.
“Home track. I got to [do a burnout]. Means a lot,” Blaney explained. “I mean, it’s cool to win in Truck here, Xfinity, now Cup. Gosh, I’m worn out. Driving hard. I figured I deserved a burnout. Hopefully, Dale Inman isn’t too mad at me.”
While Ryan Blaney broke Dale Inman’s rule, I think he gets a pass. With 80 family and friends in the stands, RFB had to do a special celebration. After this, Blaney is now in position to defend his Cup Series championship.
Since the current playoff format was introduced in 2014, there has not been a repeat champion. So, is this the year?
During the season, Ryan Blaney has shown championship-level driving. Let’s not act like he hasn’t been a top-10 driver in the Cup Series every year since 2017. If Blaney gets back to his early season form, then it might be bad news for the rest of the field.