Ryan Blaney was recently spotted handing the checkered flag to a young fan after his Nashville triumph — a gesture that has become a hallmark of his post-race routine. This isn’t new territory for the Team Penske driver; he’s made a habit of capping his wins by gifting the checkered flag to a child in the stands, a small but powerful gesture that has come to define his connection with fans.
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Speaking on NASCAR’s The Day After, Blaney shared the origins of the tradition, revealing it began in 2017. He explained that while drivers spend the race isolated in the cockpit, the moment the checkered flag waves, they’re met with a wave of cheers, questions, and celebration.
In the midst of that chaos, Blaney felt compelled to return the energy, sharing it directly with a young fan who showed up to be part of the moment.
“I want to just give this to a kid,” Blaney said. “I try to find a kid in my shirt. But if I don’t, I’ll just pick a random kid out and try to make a memory that hopefully lasts a lifetime.”
He added that the gesture stems from his own memories of going to races with his family, soaking in the experience, and pulling for his favorite drivers from the stands. Handing off the flag, for him, is a personal way to give something back.
The tradition first took root eight years ago at Dover International Speedway, where Blaney claimed an Xfinity Series win. That same year, NBC shifted its format, choosing to interview race winners on the front stretch immediately after burnouts rather than in Victory Lane. The change created the perfect setting for Blaney’s fan-first gesture to take hold.
While he now tries to find a young fan wearing his merchandise, the early days of the tradition weren’t so specific. In fact, after his 2018 Cup win at the Charlotte Roval, Blaney gave the checkered flag to a kid donning a Kyle Busch shirt — proof that the memory mattered more than the logo.
Blaney next heads to Michigan, a track where he last found victory lane in 2021, before the Next Gen era began. Since then, he’s posted a top-five and another top-10 finish at the two-mile oval, though last year’s run ended in P18. Whether he can carry the momentum from Nashville into the upcoming weekend will be an interesting storyline.
