Lost in all the championship commotion at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday was that Ryan Blaney did what Ryan Blaney tends to do. After overcoming a loose wheel on pit road at the start of the second stage and running fifth with only a handful of laps to go, he tore through the leaders and passed Tyler Reddick for the top spot coming to the white flag.
Blaney's fourth win of the 2026 season was his long-overdue first at Homestead, and first on a high-banked, non-drafting intermediate track since he won at Nashville Superspeedway in 2025. With the victory, he improved from seventh to fourth in the final championship standings.
As an organization, Team Penske found something on the intermediates this fall. And if it can continue into 2027, Blaney has to be considered the early championship favorite.
Ryan Blaney finally has the intermediate speed to capitalize on his talent; all he needs is some luck
For as historic as Kyle Larson's performance was during the Chase, Blaney's was quietly just as impressive. In six races without incident, he finished fourth, fifth, fifth, third, second, and first.
The other four were a result of an exploded brake rotor at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway), a tangle with Carson Hocevar at Bristol Motor Speedway, getting caught up in a crash at Talladega Superspeedway, and getting brake-checked by Josh Berry at Martinsville Speedway.
All four incidents occurred while Blaney was running inside the top five, with only Bristol even being partially his own mistake. With better luck, he would have won both the Chase championship and led the full-season points, which he lost to Denny Hamlin by 102.
Blaney has arguably been the best driver in NASCAR for the past two years, even while Larson's highs continue to be higher. Penske just hasn't had the consistent speed to capitalize on it, but if the end of this season was anything to go by, that might be due to change in 2027.
Of course, the pit crew on the No. 12 car is still a problem. But Blaney is the best passer in NASCAR, leading the Cup Series in green-flag pass differential in each of the past two seasons. If there is anyone who can overcome his team's deficiencies on pit road, it's him.
Blaney can excel at any track type when his cars are strong enough, and he seems to just keep getting better, setting a career-high in laps led in 2026 with 1,107. Even though he already has a championship, it feels like we're still waiting for the season when it all comes together for him.
As long as Penske's resurgence continues and he has even just average luck, that season should come next year. And it will make Blaney the favorite to become a two-time Cup Series champion.
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