Blaney’s crew details championship day at Phoenix Raceway
Jonathan Hassler and Ryan Flores break down their day from the crew's perspective as they celebrate Ryan Blaney's 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
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00:00 >> Here in victory lane with the 12 crew. Championship winning crew here in Phoenix.
00:04 We popped a champagne. I first want to bring over crew chief Jonathan Hassler. You called
00:08 a heck of a race here today. I know it was a battle. It was a challenge. How do you feel
00:11 about this crew going to battle today? >> We got one of the best groups in the garage.
00:16 We work hard each and every week and continue to focus on getting better. Let the results
00:20 speak for themselves. What they've done as a team over the last month has been incredible.
00:25 >> Your crew laid down a 9.7 and a 9.9 pit stop on the final two. What more could you
00:31 have asked for? Was there anything you could have done differently today?
00:34 >> I think we had one stop where we had a small hiccup. We lost some track position.
00:38 Our car was good enough. Ryan did a good enough job. We were able to get back forward. Our
00:43 car was really good on the long run again. That helped us. When it really counted, the
00:48 guys did a good job. >> Congratulations. I'm going to bring in
00:51 skip. Skip Flores. Congratulations to your champion. I know it feels sweet to pop the
00:56 champagne here in victory lane. How did you get it done today?
01:00 >> The Hendrick cars on pit road have had more pace than us all year. I think Steve
01:07 LaTarza this week, we've been a diesel engine and chugged it out. We did a high 9 at the
01:12 end. The 24 and the 5 got us. Just a little bit quicker stop. The car was so fast. Just
01:18 like last week. We got the wheels on it and let Ryan do his thing. That's how you win
01:23 championships. We were able to pull it off. >> What did you think of your driver there?
01:29 It was a battle not only with the championship 3 that were left but also with Ross Chastain
01:34 and martin Truex Jr. Were you nervous at all? What were the thoughts around the pit?
01:40 >> Look at this guy. >> Congrats. You're a champ now. It's a big
01:44 deal. >> Introducing my wife.
01:48 >> But, yeah, I mean, it's just, you know, you just try to -- with Ryan, he's grown so
01:56 much. And what happened last year in a round of 8, he's just -- you know, he took the receipt
02:02 to that. And he's, you know, he survived the first couple rounds and everybody at Penske
02:07 pulled together and made the cars better. And to be able to pull off a clutch win at
02:11 talladega and go to homestead and martinsville and do what he did and come here and execute,
02:17 it really falls on his shoulders. The maturation we've seen in him in the last couple years,
02:22 hell, we've been with him since trucks a lot of us. We've done trucks, XFINITY to the 21
02:27 car and moved with him to here. It's just been great to grow together and be here at
02:31 the pinnacle of it. Really just the cap of it all.
02:34 >> Finally, before I let you go, continue celebrating. What has been the motivation of
02:38 this team? Because you guys, the momentum has been in your favor. You win at martinsville.
02:43 And I know it's been an obstacle year to get here, to get to this point in the championship
02:47 four. But what's been the mindset, this never give up attitude you guys have had?
02:51 >> Going winless last year. This team is as good as any team in the garage. From the road
02:56 crew to the engineers to the truck drivers to the pit crew, the crew chief and everybody
03:00 between the PR guys, everybody that makes it happen. It's a championship team, top to
03:05 bottom. And to see the 22 win it last year, we have all the same people building the cars
03:11 back at the shop. It's really that championship mindset. But, yeah, I think that we all, you
03:17 know, we would all work out together on Wednesdays, the pit crew and the road crew and build a
03:20 lot of camaraderie in the last year and a half I've been on this car. And John has done
03:24 such a great job. He's a silent leader. He's not a really in your face guy. He's super
03:29 quiet. But he does a great job getting everybody together. And he's the type of leader that
03:32 Ryan needs. And Ryan's capped it off. I think Jonathan's really the one that's helped him
03:37 mature as much as he has. And this whole team really come together. So, yeah, I think a
03:42 lot of it is, you know, you look at the top, it's Hassler and Blaney, and we just didn't
03:46 mess it up. >> Congratulations. Go celebrate.