What began as a spontaneous cheer from Gianna Blaney at Phoenix in 2023 quickly snowballed into a full-blown rallying cry. Her send-off — “And remember, be Ryan f—ing Blaney” — echoed through the crowd just before her husband won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship. The moment, captured in NASCAR: Full Speed, ignited a wave of fanfare, with the phrase finding its way onto shirts and merchandise across the sport.
Advertisement
Fresh off his Nashville win, Blaney revisited the now-iconic moment on NASCAR: The Day After. When asked how often fans shout the line at him, he laughed, “More than you think! Throughout the race weekend, it gets pretty large, but yeah, it’s pretty funny.”
Explaining its origin, Blaney said, “She [Gianna] started saying that handful of months before that [2023 Phoenix] probably. In her mind, it was just like, ‘Be yourself, don’t worry about anything else. Just be you and be genuine, and be who you are.’ And then that’s just how it came out of her mouth, and it caught fire on the Netflix deal, and kind of ran with it.”
For Blaney, the phrase has become more than just a meme — it serves as a grounding reminder. In his words, it reflects a shared language with Gianna, one that nudges him to stay authentic.
In the series, Gianna admitted she was overjoyed hearing fans echo her words. To her, it meant they believed in Ryan as much as she did. “Just be Ryan f—ing Blaney,” she says — a mantra she hopes reminds him of who he is and what he’s capable of.
Initially, she had no idea her voice had been picked up on a hot mic. Seeing the trailer left her momentarily mortified, but the embarrassment soon gave way to pride.
Now, the phrase has taken on a life of its own. Blaney shared that fans frequently send custom shirts and hats, all bearing the catchphrase. From grandstands to garages, the chant has lit a fire — one that even the Team Penske driver admits is here to stay.
