“Just Doing What His Parents Did”: Ryan Blaney Reveals Expectations from Bowman Gray Crowd, Shares ‘Cherished’ Memory

Rahul Ahluwalia | 29/12/2024
NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney during Championship 4 Media Day at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR Cup Series drivers seem to be adjusting to the idea of the 2025 Clash shifting venues from the LA Memorial Coliseum to the Bowman Gray Stadium. Team Penske regular and 2023 champion Ryan Blaney recently touched on what he thinks the event holds for the competitors as the 2025 racing season kicks off with the exhibition-style event in February next year.

The #12 Ford Mustang driver elaborated on how he expects a vast difference in the type of fans attending the event and recalled a vivid memory from his previous racing experiences at the venue.

“I’ve raced there twice, in a Bandolero and legend car. I won in a bandolero when I was like 9 or 10. My one vivid memory was that there was a kid, younger than me, flip me off over the barrier when I was 10 and he was 7, and he was just doing what his parents did,” said the Ohio native.

A general consensus amongst the drivers seems to be regarding the type of fan that will attend the event. The fraternity expects a more involved and active experience from the viewer’s side, owing to NASCAR’s wider and deeper influence in the region.

“I don’t think he didn’t like me or anything. It was just, this is what we do. I vividly remember that going down the front stretch. I hope we get to see a few more going back there for the Clash. I bet we will,” added Blaney, seconding the motion.

“There’s no other experience like Bowman Gray as a race fan”

This is how Hendrick Motorsports driver and 2021 champion Kyle Larson describes the atmosphere during a race at the upcoming venue. A regular in the dirt-track racing scene, the #5 Chevrolet Camaro driver hoped for a similar crowd and atmosphere during the upcoming event.

With shades of such a crowd reminding Larson of the grassroots racing scene that he seems to adore, he said, “I hope that same style of a crowd shows up for a Cup race there; flipping all of us off, leaning over the wall, and screaming at us. It’s amazing. It’s such a cool atmosphere. I’m excited for it.”

Larson’s teammate at Rick Hendrick’s organization, Alex Bowman also had an anecdote from the historic venue that hosted NASCAR’s first sanctioned race on pavement. The #48 Chevy driver said, “I went to a race there one day, the year we ran K&N, I just wanted to go see it the weekend before. I had never seen a pace car driver get flipped off until Bowman Gray. It was pretty cool.”

Fans can witness the madhouse blow its top off as the event is scheduled to go live on February 2, 2024, at 8 pm ET, followed by the famed Daytona 500 in two weeks’ time.

Post Edited By: Rahul Ahluwalia
Bowman Gray Stadium NASCAR Cup Series Ryan Blaney Team Penske

About the author

Avatar photo

Rahul Ahluwalia

Rahul Ahluwalia is a NASCAR Content Strategist and Journalist at The SportsRush. Hailing from a Journalism and Mass Communication background, Rahul's love for automobiles transformed into his passion for all things racing. With over 1200+ articles under his belt covering a mixture of NASCAR and F1, he has realized his calling in the world of motorsports with actual first hand experience behind the wheel to back it up. He has competed in several autocross events as well as rallycross-style competitions to hone his skills behind the wheel and better understand the mindset of a racecar driver, allowing him to further improve his writing as well. He also has an editorial background with respect to racing and has eye for stories which otherwise go unnoticed. Rahul is also an avid sim racer indulging in various disciplines such as rallying and oval racing during his free time. Having begun his motorsports journey at the start of 2020, he turned his passion into his work allowing him to delve deeper into the ever evolving and world of cars and motorsports. Apart from racing, Rahul also has sound technical knowledge of the automotive industry and automobiles in general. Having grown up playing video games such as Need for Speed, Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, it is easy to see where the love for racing and machines inculcated in the first place.

Don’t miss these