Ryan Blaney captured the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2023 and has since carried the profile of a driver who routinely runs at the sharp end of the field. That position, by nature, places him in high-pressure situations where blocked lanes or an inability to complete a pass can test even the calmest temperament inside the cockpit. Yet away from the racetrack, a different side of Blaney emerges, one his mother has long described as deeply tender-hearted.
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In a 2017 interview, Blaney’s mother offered insight into the contrast between her son’s competitive edge on the track and his personal nature. She explained that Ryan has always shown genuine remorse when he makes mistakes. As she put it, “For me, I think he is very tender-hearted. Ryan actually truly felt bad for what he did when he was in trouble. And I think to this day, he still feels that way.”
She illustrated his personality through stories from his school years. Blaney, she said, was exceptionally bright and could ace tests with little effort. The challenge was never ability, but engagement.
He disliked routine work, which often left his grades hovering around average. While she admitted she was not rigid about report cards, effort mattered deeply to her. That principle led to a moment Ryan’s mother still recalls vividly, when she discovered he had accumulated zeros in class assignments during eighth grade.
Unwilling to let indifference slide, she decided to address the issue head-on. Rather than scold from a distance, she took a more direct approach by attending his classes to see firsthand how he behaved. She arrived for his first-period English class, then stayed through second-period math.
She remembers Blaney entering the room laughing with friends, only to spot his mother seated quietly in a chair. Shocked, his expression fell, his confidence evaporated, and the message landed without a word being spoken. The moment drew attention from classmates as well. One friend even asked why his mother was there. During one class, she raised her hand and asked a question.
At lunch, she carried a tray and sat between Ryan and his friends, aware that he had been reprimanded for talking during that period before. She stayed the entire morning, making her point. As she later summarized with a hint of humor, “I cured him of having zeros in classwork, though.”
Blaney’s mother speaks with pride about what her son has achieved
While she acknowledges the now Team Penske star’s on-track success, her pride extends far beyond trophies and results. She explained, “I’m proud of the success that he has on track. I’m more proud of the success. I see him as a young man, being very friendly and kind to other people.”
“As a mother, that means more to me than anything he accomplishes on the racetrack.” For her, character has always been more important than accomplishments. Reflecting on their bond, Blaney’s mother narrated that even as he grew into adulthood and began his racing career, she continued to call him “my baby boy,” a nickname that never failed to embarrass him.
A few years ago, the #12 Team Penske driver quietly acknowledged that bond in his own way. For Mother’s Day, he gave her a charm engraved with the words “baby boy.” She still wears it. To her, it signified understanding, a shared language between mother and son that success never erased.
