Superstar drivers have been the backbone of NASCAR since its inception. That is no different these days, as the best drivers the sport has to offer are young. This isn’t the era of 40-year-olds being the face of the sport. Ryan Blaney’s quick rise isn’t shocking because of his racing pedigree.
Like the sport’s Most Popular Driver, Chase Elliott, Blaney has quickly become one of NASCAR’s best.
Blaney and Elliott have a couple of things in common, they both come from racing families, with both drivers ‘ dads being retired NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Blaney joined Elliott in 2023 by winning the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. It wasn’t an easy path for either driver.
Both have had their hardships along the way.
Ryan Blaney Quickly Becoming One of NASCAR’s Best Drivers
Why has Ryan Blaney Quickly become one of the best, you may ask? Blaney has certainly proven he can win on any track. His humility and humbleness don’t hurt either. That has been something Blaney has been known for from the beginning of his racing career.
Blaney is fresh off his 12th-career Cup victory this past Sunday at Pocono. Such a great story given, that Pocono was also the sight of his first Cup win in 2017.
It is so cool to win here again. Extremely proud of everyone on the 12-Team and back at the shop, who work their butts off to continually get better. We are really fast right now and love where we are heading. Thank you to all of our partners and fans – let’s keep it going. pic.twitter.com/dImaOdejcf
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) July 15, 2024
Blaney was asked about how quickly he has become a weekly contender in an interview with motorsport.com.
He has always been fast, but it took a while for it to sink in that he’s among the best in the series.
“I feel like when you’re young and you’re getting into it, all you care about is pushing the gas pedal down and you lose focus on the end goal and the task at hand,” Blaney said. ” I feel as you get older, it’s easier to become smarter about things, of looking at the bigger picture, how you approach weekends, … ‘Anyone can be fast. But can you put a whole race together and can you look at the end goal of where you want to be with 100 miles to the end of the race? I’ve really worked hard on trying to do that, trying to become that guy.'”
Blaney certainly didn’t look like he was going to be the guy to win on Sunday throughout the race. A little luck pushed the race in his favor.
Racing Is In His Blood
Ryan comes from a racing family. Many will say that he’s only where he is because of his dad, Dave. That’s far from the truth. Yes, Dave raced in NASCAR, but he never had the success Ryan is currently having. The Blaney family made their name in Sprint Car racing.
His dad’s NASCAR experience has certainly been something helpful in his development. It takes talent to race at such a high level. Ryan has talent both on the track and in his experience growing up around the sport.
Blaney is thankful to have grown up around the sport and told Motorsport.com that is a big reason he has been able to handle everything the sport throws at him.
“The sport is wild when you get thrown into it. I was lucky I grew up around it, kind of saw my dad do it, kind of saw how the process was,” Blaney said. “Until you’re thrown into it, you don’t know how it’s going to be, how you’ll handle things.”
Having his family behind him has been a huge reason why he has become so successful as quickly as he has.
More Championships In Store
Blaney is 30 years old and has already won a Cup title. Many of the sport’s best drivers and champions didn’t win titles until much later in their racing career. He has a real chance to become the face of the sport for many years to come. The sport is so much harder now, but Blaney has the confidence to be a favorite for the Championship every year.
Face of the Sport
Blaney has become the face of NASCAR. The sport is in good hands with Blaney, as he has a deep knowledge of the sport and its history. The future of the sport is in good hands with Blaney and Elliott, among many others. Being the face of NASCAR can make a driver very busy and that was no different for Blaney this past week. NASCAR shared on social media a graphic of Blaney’s recent duties as a dignitary for the sport.
From Los Angeles to New York City, @Blaney has had one heck of a week. pic.twitter.com/fQ0nZ0KOjP
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 16, 2024
The defending Series Champion certainly isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
