Ryan Blaney is generally viewed as one of the calmest drivers on the NASCAR Cup Series field. He races clean, he doesn’t get into trouble with his competitors, and he wins races. But the one black mark that’s often brought up against him is his outbursts on the radio during moments of frustration in races.
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For instance, his words at the 2024 Brickyard 400 are as iconic as any. Brad Keselowski had been leading the race and running out of fuel in the final laps. When he turned to the pit road, NASCAR kept the race under green until Kyle Larson drew alongside Blaney and eventually overtook him using the faster inside lane. This led the Team Penske driver to say some unpleasant things on the radio.
He vented, “I don’t give a s—t. That’s f—ing bulls—t. There’s no way they should’ve let that go green. That’s ridiculous. They just gave it to him (Kyle Larson). It’s f—ing over, I’m on the top. You gonna win from the top? Gave it to f—ing golden boy. Son of a b—h.” This is just the tip of the iceberg. The deeper one digs, the more they can find such annoyed yells.
Ryan Blaney pissed off @ Indianapolis, 2024. pic.twitter.com/NdsYpmReuG
— Andrew (@Basso488) July 22, 2024
But is this reason enough to say that Blaney loses his mind when under pressure? He thinks not. In a recent interview with Jeff Gluck, he was asked what people get wrong about him. He said, “I do it to myself a little bit, but if I have a little thing on the radio and I get frustrated, people are like, ‘Oh, he’s losing his mind.’
“That’s not really the case. I have my 10 seconds of frustration, and I just have to let it out. Listen to other guys, man. There are guys way worse than me. And it’s not me losing my mind. I just have to get it out, and it’s how I move on past things. If I don’t get it out, it just bundles up.” He continued to clarify that he is not that way at home or anywhere outside his Ford Mustang.
Blaney wishes that people didn’t have to hear him say such things, but then, it is a better route to go down than to keep it all in. Some argue he could still blow off steam without pressing the radio button. But he knows and understands that venting it out to an actual person is what helps more than simply shouting to oneself.
Blaney is often lauded for his calm demeanor and his refusal to use questionable tactics. His rants are among the few weaknesses anyone can find in him. Fortunately, it’s not something grave enough for him to try and sort out at all costs.
