There was a moment near the end of the final lap of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix on Sunday when it seemed like Ryan Blaney had finally figured out a way to get around front-runner Joey Logano. A lead that had once been more than three seconds about 40 laps earlier was down to a little more than two-tenths, and Blaney, who clearly had the faster car, was driving his Ford Mustang right to the bumper of his Penske Racing teammate. Both drivers had emerged during NASCAR’s playoffs to be members of the Championship 4 at Phoenix. The winner would take home the Cup. The stakes were as big as they could get.
For Blaney, though, there was just one problem: Logano was about to cross the finish line. The final margin between the two was just 0.330 seconds. The loss denied Blaney, the 2023 champ, his second consecutive title. “I just ran out of time,” he said.
