Ryan Blaney still feels like the “silly, quiet kid” he was at 23 when he blazed past Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch over the final 10 laps in 2017 at Pocono Raceway to win a NASCAR Cup race for the first time. At times, not much in life has changed for Blaney. “I still drink a lot of beer,” Blaney said, before waiting a beat, “probably more.” Blaney chuckled at the thought, but the reality is, at the track he´s long outgrown the mold of a rising NASCAR star. At 30, he´s a certified one as a NASCAR champion and serves as a bit of an elder statesman, promoting the sport this week coast-to-coast from the ESPYS to the ” Today ” show. “I´ve just been fortunate to be on a cool journey,” Blaney said. His celebrity profile may have mushroomed, but the only journey that really matters in NASCAR is the one to victory lane. Blaney led the final 44 laps and won Sunday at Pocono, the site of his first career NASCAR Cup Series win and his second victory in the last five races this season.