But Blaney's solid showing in St. Louis proved that the No. 12 team was capable of winning, and two weeks after the St. Louis heartbreak, it was Blaney who won the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, leading 201 of 350 laps.

Logano became the sixth three-time champion in Cup Series history, joining Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarbrough, Darrell Waltrip and Tony Stewart. Only seven-time champions Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, plus four-time champion Jeff Gordon, have more titles.

Ryan Blaney had 15 laps to pass Joey Logano, but it simply wasn't meant to be for the No. 12 team. Blaney caught Logano with a faster race car but couldn't find a way around his teammate. The driver of the No.

There has still never been a back-to-back champion in the 11-year history of the NASCAR Cup Series elimination playoff format but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or preparation from Ryan Blaney, Jonathan Hassler and the Penske No.