Ryan Blaney points out key places and unforgettable memories as he relives his 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title at Phoenix Raceway.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Is in his family's DNA
00:03 and Ryan has just crested the mountain of all wins.
00:07 - One hell of a job man, one hell of a job.
00:09 Great job and awesome to serve again.
00:10 Thank you so much.
00:11 - 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
00:16 - Well, here we are, the spot, the moment
00:21 where we became champion at 23.
00:24 I mean, obviously it's a really cool time to be back here.
00:27 You know, I got to be back here in December
00:29 to do the test and that brought back some memories
00:31 'cause it was recently removed.
00:32 It really just kind of brings everything
00:35 back a little bit more.
00:36 You know, once you're on the track again,
00:38 you kind of remember little tiny spots
00:40 which made it possible.
00:41 The burnouts are still there.
00:44 I look at this one, this is kind of where I got
00:46 to the outside of Larson.
00:48 Off of turn four, kind of right past start finish,
00:52 he went to the apron and blocked, got really loose
00:54 and then allowed me to get to his outside
00:55 which let us get to the pass.
00:57 Well, that last lap, all I was thinking about
00:58 was all the people who got me to the moment,
01:02 you know, of being able to win the championship.
01:05 You know, obviously my dad was a huge part of it.
01:07 My mom, my sisters were great.
01:09 When you kind of get done with your burnout,
01:10 it's time to get out of the car.
01:12 Man, I just want to get out of this thing and celebrate
01:13 and I want to see the people.
01:14 Seeing their faces was really neat.
01:17 Seeing how pumped up they were and hearing the crowd cheering.
01:21 That part was really special
01:22 and then having Gianna come out too
01:23 was really cool to share that moment with her.
01:26 (laughing)
01:28 - Nice, how cool is that, huh?
01:31 That little half lap drive before I got to the stage,
01:33 it was like a kid going to bed the night before
01:35 like they go to Disney.
01:37 That was all I was thinking about was just,
01:38 I cannot wait to get here to celebrate with everybody.
01:41 Before I got to the stage, Bubba came out.
01:46 He was just excited, right?
01:47 I mean, he was just like, "You're a (beep) champion.
01:49 "Are you (beep) kidding me?"
01:50 Just hearing congrats from your competitors, right?
01:51 Like, they don't have to give you congrats.
01:53 And then Chase coming on stage was great.
01:55 You get that picture with him.
01:57 I got that picture framed in my house
01:58 of me chasing Gianna by the trophy
02:00 'cause that's something that,
02:02 it's cool that we're able to share it.
02:03 And my mom was always, she was a soft-spoken lady,
02:06 but she was very emotional.
02:08 And then seeing my dad,
02:09 'cause my dad was the reason I raced, right?
02:11 I grew up watching him.
02:12 He was like my motivational guy,
02:14 always kind of pumping me up, saying he believed,
02:16 and it made me believe.
02:17 Here will always be special
02:20 because I won a championship here.
02:22 I remember looking back on it
02:23 when we were leaving the track
02:25 and missing it, wanting to go back.
02:27 This place will always be neat,
02:28 and hopefully we can make some more good memories here too.
02:31 (upbeat music)