Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Blaney wins 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, Ross Chastain wins Phoenix race

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 11/5/23

After starting outside of the top ten, Ryan Blaney finishes P2 overall and wins the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship. Ross Chastain picks up the race win. Blaney won the championship over Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Christopher Bell.

This race provided us with a late restart and race on pit road. Ryan Blaney had the best car on the day and he drove the best race. Plain and simple, it was a fantastic run in the NASCAR Playoffs for the 12 team.

Ryan now adds to the legacy of himself and his family’s history. The Blaneys are a racing family and now they have a Cup Series champion among them.

REPOST to congratulate @Blaney!

He is a @NASCAR Cup Series CHAMPION! pic.twitter.com/qRi9KGY9tA
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 5, 2023

A restart with less than 40 laps to go set us up for a great finish. It wasn’t the best race at times, but the end was interesting, at least. Kyle Busch spins around and ends up stuck on the track not moving for a bit, and there’s a caution. The restart gave Larson the edge on Blaney and Byron. Christopher Bell had wrecked out of the race earlier with a brake failure.

Larson kept the aero block on Blaney and drove his car as best he could. The two had run-ins throughout the race, and it frustrated Blaney. However, the 12 found a way to get around the 5. At least earlier in the race he did. In the closing 30 laps, it got more difficult.

With 20 laps to go, Ryan Blaney made the pass on Larson for second. His car was simply better all day, the aero blocks could only do so much.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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