Ryan Blaney reflects on returning to Phoenix after winning 2023 NASCAR title there

Ryan Blaney is preparing to return to Phoenix Raceway this weekend, the track where he cemented himself in NASCAR history last November.

It’s not the first time he’s returning to the track, as he tested there over the winter, but it’s the first time he’ll return for the pomp and circumstance of a race weekend. Speaking with FOX’s Bob Pockrass, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion elaborated on his emotions ahead of going back to the desert.

“I haven’t thought too much about it. It will be nice to go back and kind of see it,” Blaney said, regarding the track where his life changed for good. “I tested there in December, so that was kind of nice to go back shortly removed from the championship. It probably will bring back special memories that’s for sure. … It will be nice to go back.”

Aside from the thrill of returning to the venue where his first Cup Series title was won, Blaney is excited to return to Phoenix for race reasons as well. Blaney, and Team Penske as a whole, run extraordinarily well at Phoenix, and Blaney is hoping for his first win since becoming a champion.

“Yeah. It’s a place that’s been really good to us, our whole [Penske] group, really, for a long time, and especially the last two or three years,” Blaney added. “I’ve had a few seconds there in a row, so hopefully we can figure out how to get one spot better.”

Last season, Blaney finished P2 at Phoenix in both races at the track, watching William Byron win the spring race, and Ross Chastain cap his season off with a win in the finale. Ironically enough, Blaney was the biggest winner at Phoenix, taking home the championship, without ever winning a race there in 2023.

As Blaney looks to establish himself as a weekly threat to get to Victory Lane, the reigning Cup Series champion has been just that thus far in 2024. His car was extremely fast at Daytona, but a wreck took him out late in the game. Then, he came home P2 by mere seconds at Atlanta, and left Sin City with a P3 in Las Vegas last weekend.

All that to say Blaney’s been right there throughout the season, as he looks to win back to back titles and establish himself as one of the modern greats in the Cup Series. Perhaps he’ll be able to find a win at Phoenix this weekend, which would be the perfect start to Ryan Blaney’s defense.