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Mario Andretti makes Ryan Blaney’s first Cup win even more special

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Ryan Blaney describes his emotions after claiming his first career NASCAR Cup win and why his dad's reaction meant the most to him.

Of the nearly 200 congratulatory messages Ryan Blaney received after his first career Cup win last weekend at Pocono Raceway, one stood out.

“The coolest one I got, it wasn’t a text, but Mario Andretti tweeted at me,’' Blaney said Friday morning at Michigan International Speedway. “That was really cool. That was probably the neatest one I saw.’'

Blaney said before he answered all his text messages, he called his father. With a 45-minute drive to the airport and time before the plane took off, Blaney said he was able to respond to all the text messages he received.

While technology allowed many to reach out to Blaney after the win, he took an old-school approach to how he celebrated his win. No burnout.

“This year I kind of decided I didn’t want to do one any more,’' Blaney said. “When I was younger I used to do them and loved them. They’re fun to do. I thought it was fitting not to do one in the Wood Brothers car because traditionally that’s not how they used to do it. They used to kind of go around and wave to the fans. I really didn’t see any negative things about not doing a burnout. Everyone thought that was pretty neat.’'

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