The level of respect that drivers have for their peers and the sport has been steadily decreasing with each passing decade in NASCAR. Today, youngsters are willing to take any measure to gain positions, even if it means crossing ethical lines. But one driver who has stayed away from such questionable tactics throughout his career is Ryan Blaney.
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The Team Penske driver was asked in his pre-race interview at the Pocono Raceway how he has managed to do this. His answer raises questions about the upbringing practices of an entire generation. Blaney said, “It is just how my dad raised me. My dad taught me at a young age, ‘This is how I am going to teach you. Treat others with respect. Race how they race you.’
“There are certain situations where it might get a little bit more aggressive if you feel like you’ve been done wrong. I’ve just never been the type of person to be the initial aggressor. That’s just not the way I do it. I just try to go about it the right way.”
Blaney has stayed away from expressing hurtful comments off the track for the most part as well. He believes in letting his driving do the talking. Even on the track, he believes that it makes a better show of dominance for him to beat his opponent by racing and passing them cleanly.
He continued, “It’s just kind of been who I was. It’s just how I was brought up. Everyone is different. I guess I was raised that way, and that’s why I’m the way I am.”
How Blaney views aggressive battles on the track
Carson Hocevar is the first person who pops into anyone’s mind when talking about aggressive drivers on the track. The Spire Motorsports youngster has been making quite a number of enemies lately, and Hyak Motorsports driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the latest of them all. Blaney was asked whether he pays attention to those dramatic situations.
He said that he does care about such incidents since he is out on the track with such drivers. But then, Blaney is only too glad that he isn’t actively involved in them. “It’s nice to be on the outside looking in and just seeing what’s going to happen,” he said. He also noted that he keeps his guard up when he is racing near drivers who have beef with each other.
There is no arguing that this is a clever approach from the 2023 Cup Series champion. With one win to his name in the 2025 Cup Series, Blaney currently sits seventh in the standings. His next race will be at the Pocono Raceway on Sunday.
