Ryan Blaney and Daisy Ridley: NASCAR Champion’s Relationship With Star Wars Actress Explored

Ryan Blaney is one of the best race car drivers on the planet right now along with being the defending Cup Series champion. But this doesn’t matter when he stands in front of Daisy Ridley, the actress who plays Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Team Penske hotshot got to meet her at the recent ESPY Awards and was left starstruck – just like he was seven years ago during their first meeting.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Blaney was asked about the experience and if he told Ridley about him being a NASCAR champion. He replied, “When I met her seven years ago at a Lakers game, I just asked for a picture and I never told her what I did. I don’t do that. She doesn’t give a s—, right?” The recent confrontation went along the same lines.

He never told her who he was and just acted out as a casual fan looking for a picture. He continued, “I literally said the same thing: “Hey, my apologies for asking, but would you be kind enough to take a picture with me? I’m a big fan. I love the movies you’ve been in, and I’m a huge Star Wars fan and I’d love to get a photo if that’s OK.” And she was super nice. She’s like, “Yeah, we can get one.”

The driver jokes that the only difference between then and now is that he is engaged. He was only 23 when he met her for the first time at an NBA game. He was at the arena in Los Angeles along with fellow driver Bubba Wallace when he caught sight of her at the Staples Center. Following their click together, he posted the picture on X with the words, “Life’s made.”

Did Blaney want to take Daisy Ridley on a date?

Back then was his one chance to ask the star out. And he did consider it for a brief while. “I should have asked her out?” Blaney pondered to the press at Auto Club Speedway. “Yeah, I bet she gets that millions of times, too. I wasn’t going to be like, ‘Hey, I drive racecars.’ You can’t do that. That’s not cool.” He did then admit that he would hold the memory of meeting her close to him.

“Gone forever,” he continued to lament. “I’ll never see her again.” Little did he know that he would meet her again all these years later. But unfortunately, he did but was once again in a situation where he couldn’t ask her out. Regret is out of the question though thanks to Gianna Tulio, his soon-to-be wife.