Ryan Blaney is now a NASCAR Cup Series champion. But it might not have been possible if he had not gotten his big break with Tommy Baldwin Racing in the Xfinity Series back in 2012. The Ohio native recently took a trip down memory lane and revisited his debut for TBR at Richmond Raceway.

Ryan Blaney Revisits First Xfinity Start at Richmond

Richmond Raceway has not been a lucky track for Blaney so far. The Team Penske driver never finished above seventh here in the Cup Series, but the 0.75-mile oval still holds a special place in his heart. This is the track where his NASCAR journey began almost a decade and a half ago.

He recently quoted a highlight clip of his TBR debut on X, writing, “Feels like yesterday. Time flies that’s for sure! Those TBR fellas were on it that night (clinking beer mugs emoji).”

The path to that debut started years earlier. In 2010, 16-year-old Blaney was racing late models in the CARS and PASS tours on short tracks throughout the Southeast. His father, Dave, on the other hand, was competing in the NASCAR Cup Series for the modestly resourced Tommy Baldwin Racing.

Led by crew chief-turned-owner Tommy Baldwin Jr., the team never saw much success in the Cup or Xfinity Series. Before Blaney debuted for TBR, his father, Dave, gave the Cup team its first top five finish in 2011. At that time, the team had only five top fives in the Xfinity Series, the last of which came in 2003.

After Blaney decided to pursue NASCAR, Dave convinced TBR to give him a shot in the Xfinity Series. Baldwin never fielded a full-season Xfinity entry and hadn’t run more than five races in a year since 2003. He usually gave Xfinity nods to veterans or rising drivers looking for their breakout win. Baldwin agreed to give Blaney a six-race slot in the 2012 Xfinity Series.

When Blaney rolled out in the No. 36 for his debut at Richmond Raceway, he was determined to make the most of the chance he got. That determination paid off immediately.

Blaney qualified eighth and came home seventh, handing Baldwin his first Xfinity top 10 in nearly a decade. The result was more than just a solid debut for the young driver. It marked a breakthrough moment for a team that had struggled to find consistent performance in the series.

Later that summer, he matched that result at Bristol and gave Baldwin his first multi-top 10 season since Wally Dallenbach Jr. in 2002. Those performances put Blaney on the radar of many in NASCAR, and Team Penske was one of the interested parties.

With a few Xfinity starts available later in the year, Penske gave Blaney a shot. Three months later, he was wheeling the No. 22 to a 10th-place finish at Iowa Speedway in his debut for the team that would eventually become his Cup Series home.

Blaney now returns to Richmond as one of the most accomplished drivers in the Cup Series. While he is yet to celebrate a win here, Richmond gave him the chance to showcase his ability to the NASCAR world and helped lay the foundation for his successful career. So, Richmond Raceway will always be a special track for the 2023 Cup Series champion.