How Ryan Blaney Plans to Make NASCAR’s Chicago Weekend Memorable for Himself and Wife Gianna Tulio

Ryan Blaney doesn’t mind mixing business with pleasure with his wife Gianna Tulio. In fact, like other married NASCAR couples, they look forward to off-track and downtime action in various locations that host Cup races.

That’s especially true for the early July Chicago Street Race in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

During a recent media tour to promote the race, Blaney told Chicago TV station FOX 32 he has some plans for his wife in the Windy City.

“My wife and I are going to try to come up early this year so I really get some time here in Chicago,” Blaney said. “I love the city. I didn’t spend a lot of time here as a kid, so I’ve really tried to embrace it as an adult.”

Blaney hopes to return to one of Chicago’s famed museums that he had a chance to visit for the first time last year.

“Even when we come here to compete, we try to go out and see different parts of it,” he stated. “(Last year) was my first time at the Field Museum, which is amazing. When I come back, I want to get the full tour because I love like dinosaurs and stuff. I’ve got to see Sue (a well-known dinosaur skeleton) at the Field Museum.”

“I love the city. It offers a lot, and we appreciate them welcoming us with open arms for the weekend and shutting down your (downtown) traffic for like three days. But yeah, we get to spend some time. Hopefully, we get to spend some more time here in a couple months.”

No trip to Chicago would be complete without sampling the local food cuisine, and Blaney is all-in on that possibility for the third year in a row that NASCAR has raced in downtown Chi-town.

“We’re hoping to really hit up some restaurants when we come back,” Blaney said. “I love Chicago-style pizza. I try to find the best spots for Chicago-style. I know some people who are not living in Chicago; they don’t like Chicago-style pizza, but I personally really enjoy it.

“I try to always find some good spots.”

Blaney then turned to the interviewer and asked with a smile, “If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.”

And obviously, all stomach!

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal

Chicago Chicago Street Race Gianna Tulio nascar Ryan Blaney

About the author

Jerry Bonkowski

Jerry Bonkowski is a veteran sportswriter who has worked full-time for many of the top media outlets in the world, including USA Today (15 years), ESPN.com (4+ years), Yahoo Sports (4 1/2 years), NBCSports.com (8 years) and others. He has covered virtually every major professional and collegiate sport there is, including the Chicago Bulls' six NBA championships (including heavy focus on Michael Jordan), the Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX-winning season, the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs World Series championships, two of the Chicago Blackhawks' NHL titles, Tiger Woods' PGA Tour debut, as well as many years of beat coverage of the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA for USA Today. But Jerry's most notable achievement has been covering motorsports, most notably NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA drag racing and Formula One. He has had a passion for racing since he started going to watch drag races at the old U.S. 30 Dragstrip (otherwise known as "Where the Great Ones Run!") in Hobart, Indiana. Jerry has covered countless NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA races and championship battles over the years. He's also the author of a book, "Trading Paint: 101 Great NASCAR Debates", published in 2010 (and he's hoping to soon get started on another book). Away from sports, Jerry was a fully sworn part-time police officer for 20 years, enjoys reading and music (especially "hair bands" from the 1980s and 1990s), as well as playing music on his electric keyboard, driving (fast, of course!), spending time with Cyndee his wife of nearly 40 years, the couple's three adult children and three grandchildren (with more to come!), and his three dogs -- including two German Shepherds and an Olde English Bulldog who thinks he's a German Shepherd.. Jerry still gets the same excitement of seeing his byline today as he did when he started in journalism as a 15-year-old high school student. He is looking forward to writing hundreds, if not thousands, of stories in the future for TheSportsRush.com, as well as interacting with readers.

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