Ryan Blaney will not be going anywhere in the near future. On Friday, Team Penske announced Blaney has signed a multi-year contract extension to continue driving the #12 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“Ryan is a true talent with a long runway ahead of him and we are excited to have him as a part of the future of Team Penske,” Roger Penske stated. “Since joining our team, Ryan has developed into a championship caliber driver and his personality and engagement with fans has made him a terrific ambassador for NASCAR. In addition, Ryan has done a great job of working with our partners to support their activation and investment throughout each year. I am looking forward to even more success together.”
Prior to the extension, Blaney’s contract was set to expire at the end of the 2020 season. Since joining Penske’s Cup stable in 2018, he has recorded two wins and playoff appearances in both years. After three races in 2020, he currently leads the Cup standings; he was edged out for the win by Denny Hamlin in the Daytona 500 and ran second late in last Sunday’s Auto Club 400 before tyre concerns forced him to pit.
After climbing NASCAR’s lower series, including a runner-up championship finish in the Truck Series in 2014, he began racing for Penske affiliate Wood Brothers Racing in 2015. In 2017, he won his first Cup race at Pocono Raceway. He has four career Truck wins and seven in the Xfinity Series.
“I’ve always said, it’s been a lifelong dream to be able to drive a racecar for Roger Penske,” Blaney said. “I am proud of what we have accomplished with the #12 Team Penske Ford and our ability to represent great brands like Menards, Advance Auto Parts, DEX Imaging and BODYARMOR. It’s really exciting to know I will continue to drive for this organization in 2021 and beyond. I am fortunate to be surrounded by extremely talented people throughout the organization and have no doubt we will continue to compete for wins and championships well into the future.”
With the re-signing, Team Penske now has two of three Cup drivers locked in for 2021 and beyond. Joey Logano‘s contract runs through 2023, while Brad Keselowski‘s future with the team is currently unknown.