For more than ten years now, no driver has managed to win the prestigious Cup Series trophy two years in a row. However, 2024 might change that pattern. Ryan Blaney earned the title of the best sports car driver in American motorsports by winning the 2023 NASCAR championship.
Even though his efforts to defend those titles haven’t started as well as he’d hoped after five races, he’s not too worried about it.
Despite not winning any races, he told the media at COTA that he was satisfied with the performance of his #12 team so far. He said, “We’ve had some good days. We just haven’t been able to compete for the win and lead laps. We’ve been in the top five, but there’s still a little gap we need to close. Hopefully, we can improve.”
He added that there’s still a long season ahead and plenty of opportunities to get better. “It’s not about making huge improvements all at once,” he explained. “It’s about making small changes that add up over time. So, hopefully, we can identify those areas for improvement.
But yeah, it’s a long season. I don’t panic easily.” Blaney is confident that his team will improve as the season goes on. As they head into Sunday’s race at COTA, the champion is currently in 4th place in the driver standings.
He came very close to winning in Atlanta earlier this year but was narrowly beaten by Daniel Suarez from Trackhouse Racing. The upcoming race will be a tough test for Blaney and his Team Penske teammates because road courses are not their strong suit.
