Who is Ryan Blaney?

Ryan Blaney pulled off an unforeseen feat when he won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series. After making it to six consecutive playoffs, the Team Penske driver made it count on the seventh occasion. Having competed in over 300 Cup Series races, Blaney currently possesses 10 wins and most importantly, a championship to his name.

The 30-year-old driver has been known to be a Blaney's talent lies not only on the track but also off it. Alongside his impressive racing career, the #12 driver has starred in several movies and TV shows.  Not only has that boosted his net worth but has also helped him increase his fanbase.

Ryan Blaney’s Early Life

Ryan Blaney was born on the last day of 1993 in Hartford Township, Trumbull County, Ohio. He is of Irish descent and a third-generation race car driver. Interestingly, his father, Dave Blaney, used to race in NASCAR competitions while his grandfather, Lou Blaney was a modified dirt track racer.

Safe to say, racing has always been in Blaney’s blood. However, he would take immense pride in realizing that he has been the most successful racer in his family. Having started his racing career at the age of nine, he began with quarter midget racing.

While racing has been an eye-catching prospect for Blaney, the same can be even said for his siblings.

Ryan Blaney’s Wife and Children

Dave Blaney and his wife Lisa have three children. Ryan Blaney is the middle child and only son of his parents. His elder sister Emma is married to driver Cale Conley. On the other hand, his younger sister Erin is currently dating Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron.

While it is a tricky situation for Erin with both Blaney and Byron being in the Cup Series, both drivers have handled it quite well. As far as Ryan Blaney's dating life is concerned, he has been in a long and loving relationship with Hooters model and executive Gianna Tulio.

The couple made their relationship public when they went together on a vacation to Vail, Colorado. Gianna can often be seen at race tracks supporting her man as she was right there when Blaney registered his 2023 Cup Series championship victory.

Shortly after winning the title, Blaney popped the million-dollar question to his girlfriend, and the two got engaged on December 12, 2023. Hopefully, the wedding bells aren’t far away either.

Ryan Blaney’s Net Worth

Ryan Blaney perhaps is one of the highest-paid drivers in NASCAR today, especially given his last year’s heroics. As per Equity Atlas, his net worth is $12 million. This is projected to reach an impressive $20 million by the end of 2024. It is likely given the progress Blaney has been making in the past few years.

The #12 driver signed a contract extension with Team Penske in 2022 but there is no solid information yet regarding his annual salary as per his current contract. Given that he has starred in several movies and shows, it has only helped boost his total net worth in recent years.

Ryan Blaney’s Career Timeline

Ryan Blaney started his racing career at a very young age and looked impressive. At the age of 12, he won the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Young Lions Winter Heat Point Championship. He made his debut in the ARCA Racing Series and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East in 2011.

His driving skills saw him earn praise from Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick in his early days in NASCAR. In fact, in 2012, he earned his debut in the Truck Series. His win at Iowa Speedway in September 2012 made him the youngest winner in the Truck Series then.

Two years later, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut. Eventually, in 2016, he completed his first full-time season. From 2018, Blaney has been associated with Team Penske. With them, it has only taken his performance to the next level.  His championship victory last season is a testament to his hard work and never-give-up attitude. No wonder, sponsors are very keen on being associated with Blaney.

Ryan Blaney Endorsements

As far as sponsorships go, the 2023 Cup Series champion has those in abundance. As per the Team Penske website, the driver's primary sponsors are Menards, Discount Tire, BODYARMOR, DEX Imaging, Advance Auto Parts, WURTH, Wabash, Range Leather, Black Buffalo, Dent Wizard, Flag & Anthem and Pennzoil.

Speaking about his primary sponsor Menards last year, Ryan Blaney couldn’t be more happy with them. As reported by Forbes, he said, “I’ve been lucky to have the Menards partnership and Advance Auto Parts and Ford. Everybody has been amazing. On the Menards side, they’re been part of motorsports for a long time and John Menard is a huge race fan. He loves everything about racing. I love those guys up there.”

Ryan Blaney’s NASCAR Career Stats

To date, Ryan Blaney has been a strong force in the Cup Series. He has 10 victories to his name in over 300 race appearances. In fact, in his eight full-time seasons, only once has he missed out on making it to the playoffs.

So far, he has 69 top-five and 131 top-ten finishes, showcasing his amazing consistency. Even his Xfinity Series record looks impressive with seven wins in 70 races. With the age very much on his side, it is interesting to see the number of records Blaney breaks in the coming years.

Ryan Blaney NASCAR Records

From a young age, Ryan Blaney has adopted the habit of breaking records. His win in the Truck Series at Iowa Speedway came at 18 years, eight months, and 15 days, making him the youngest driver then to do so.

With four wins in the Truck Series, seven wins in the Xfinity Series, and 10 wins in the Cup Series, Ryan Blaney is one of only 40 drivers to win in all three series. It is a massive record considering the sport has been 75 years old now.

Ryan Blaney’s Achievements and Awards

Ryan Blaney has making a lot of noise with his performances ever since he entered NASCAR. During his debut season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series at Phoenix, he registered his first in just his third race. His 2014 Truck Series campaign was a memorable one as he won once, finished in the top five 12 times, and 17 times in the top ten. In fact, he also went on to win the Most Popular Driver Award in the Truck Series that year.

His second full-time Cup Series season with Wood Brothers Racing gave the team their best finish since 1995. That very season, Blaney finished ninth with one win, four top-five, and 14 top-ten finishes. In the same year, he helped Team Penske earn their fourth Xfinity Series Owners Championship win.

Blaney’s an expert when it comes to racing at Talladega Superspeedway. His victory at the track in June 2020 made him the first driver to win back-to-back races at the track since 2007. In 2021, for the first time in his Cup Series career, he finished the season with more than one win, one of which again included a win at Talladega.

The following year, Blaney made a sensational run at Texas Motor Speedway to win his first-ever NASCAR All-Star race, winning the $1 million prize. Last season, he once again recorded a win at Talladega and eventually ended up winning the championship title. This helped Team Penske earn their 44 national championship.

Ryan Blaney Charity and Foundations

In 2009, the Blaney family was dealt a heartbreaking loss when Lou Blaney passed away at the age of just 69 due to Alzheimer's. As a result, the family started a charitable foundation to raise awareness about brain health and support people struggling with Alzheimer's or concussion-related injuries.

The charity is based in North Carolina and is called Ryan Blaney Foundation. The 2023 Cup Series champion was close to his grandfather and his loss impacted him in a big way. A statement on the charity website read, "We lost our father and grandfather, Lou Blaney, to Alzheimer’s disease when he was just 69 years old. It is a horribly difficult disease for both the person and family it affects."

Further, it read, "When we felt lost and did not know where to get the answers we needed, it was our local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association that provided us not only with accurate and useful information, but with compassionate support for the whole family."

 

The Ryan Blaney Foundation raises money primarily through donations. The organization offers help offering important resources and information to raise awareness about the respective diseases. They have online and in-person support groups and a 24/7 hotline.

The organization also helps in the research aspect towards finding a cure for Alzheimer's and they have a close relationship with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Sports Medicine Concussion Clinic.

Ryan Blaney in Media

It is a shame that Ryan Blaney has not appeared in any Star Wars movies or TV series but there's other stuff he has done in cinema. He voiced the character Ryan 'Inside' Laney in Cars 3 alongside several other NASCAR stars like Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and Jeff Gordon to name a few. The Team Penske star also made an appearance in the 2017 film "Logan Lucky". He has also played Special Agent Nathan Wood in the TV series "Taken" in 2018.

The 2023 Cup Series champion is technically a Netflix star with a cameo appearance in Netflix's television series The Crew. He was also a podcaster with Kim Coon and Chuck Bush. The 3 started the Glass Case of Emotion podcast in 2017 which saw its final episode after Blaney won the Cup Series in 2023.

Ryan Blaney has also had a stint as a media executive with Fox. He joined as a pit reporter with Erik Jones and Ricky Stenhouse Jr in the Xfinity Series in 2017. He also interviewed Brad Keselowski once after the former Cup Series champion won a race at Pocono. It could be an interesting career choice for Blaney after he retires from the sport.

Ryan Blaney's Social Media Accounts

Ryan Blaney is fairly active on his social media handles, especially Twitter and Instagram.

Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/Blaney12
Twitter	https://twitter.com/Blaney
Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/ryanblaney10/

Full Name	Ryan Blaney
Popular Name	YRB (Young Ryan Blaney)
Birth Date	December 31, 1993
Birth Place	Hartford Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, U.S.
Age	30
Height	5 ft 7 in
Weight (in pounds)	165 lb
Parents	Dave Blaney, Lisa Blaney
Siblings	Erin Blaney, Emma Blaney
Nationality	American

Ethnicity	Caucasian
Net Worth	$12 million
Salary	Unknown
Spouse	None
Relationship/ Marital Status	Engaged to Gianna Tulio
Children	None
Profession	Race car driver
Team	Team Penske