Ryan Blaney became the third first-time winner of a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, and he did so the right way -- not by fuel mileage or winning on a wild-card, restrictor-plate superspeedway -- but by passing one of NASCAR's biggest stars and holding off one of its most aggressive drivers.

Blaney beat Kevin Harvick to the checkered flag at Pocono Raceway on Sunday by 0.139 seconds to give famed Wood Brothers Racing its 99th victory. Blaney is the 10th different driver to win a Cup race in 2017. 

With 15 laps remaining, Blaney lined up fourth on the grid after a late-race caution for a Kasey Kahne accident. Kyle Busch was leading at the time and had to be the first to decide if he would pit for fresh tires or run what he had. Busch was a sitting duck as only Brad Keselowski -- who was on much fresher rubber -- stayed out with him.

Blaney got a launch on the restart, but Busch drove him hard, nearly blocking him into the infield twice. The mark of Blaney's career so far has been his composed driving style. He did not allow the incidents with Busch phase him. 

Once in the lead, Harvick settled in 0.04 seconds behind and pressed hard. Again, Blaney was unflappable. He never put a wheel wrong in the final 15 laps.

Previously this year, Austin Dillon won the fuel-mileage Coke 600, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was riding in first when the checkers waved over the Geico 500 at Talladega SuperSpeedway. Both are solid accomplishments, but Blaney's victory came the way first-time wins are supposed to: by beating the best in the business in a heads-up competition.

On old tires, Busch faded to ninth in the final rundown.

For Ryan Blaney, The Future Is Now And It's A Bright One