Ryan Blaney’s Latest Fashion Statement Comes With Its Own Set of Problems

Ryan Blaney loves experimenting with his looks: He goes around with a clean-shaven look at times; opts for a full beard and mustache that make him look less boyish and more serious at other times. And there is a new version of Blaney set to go in the 2026 Cup Series season.

The Team Penske driver has decided to keep just a really thick mustache and shave his beard off this year. The new style makes him look a lot like the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. The 2023 NASCAR Cup champ told the press recently that his experiment was approved by his wife. Well, that’s important!

Fans, meanwhile, have a range of opinions on it, mostly positive, and Blaney is listening intently to them all. Speaking to PRN Live, he revealed the practical, everyday challenges that he faces with eating food when having such a thick patch of hair on his face, that too above his lips.

There are certain items that Blaney simply doesn’t eat or has to be extra aware of when eating. “There are things that suck to eat worse than others. Pasta or ice cream. Drinking out of a cup. But I refuse to drink out of a straw. So, you just have to wipe your mouth every time. Wings. Wings are a pain in the butt,” he said.

When he eats wings at a restaurant, he always has to go to the bathroom and clean his mustache to ensure that there aren’t any food particles or sauces stuck to it. Simply wiping it isn’t hygienic enough.

Blaney admitted that the mustache requires more maintenance than normal. But he absolutely loves sporting it and is willing to put up with it. The question is, what does his team think of it?

Will Roger Penske ask Blaney to remove the mustache?

For the traditional, long-term NASCAR fan, Blaney’s new look would undoubtedly be a blast from the past when a majority of drivers boasted such thick mustaches. But the younger fans might not relate to it as much.

What the sport and teams need right now is for the next generation to connect with drivers as much as possible and create an unsaid bond with them. The mustache, while not necessarily, could end up creating a disconnect with some fans.

A fan disconnect would be a problem for Roger Penske. The driver revealed that his team owner hasn’t particularly commented on the look yet. Blaney expects him to give his opinion on it soon. Until then, he will continue to carry it.