Ryan Blaney finds himself teetering on the edge in the Round of 8. After a rocky start to the third round of the playoffs — where he collided with the Turn 1 retaining wall during practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway due to a flat tire and subsequently finished in 32nd place — Blaney is under pressure to clinch a victory to make a repeat of his past success possible.
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As the current defending champion, he is looking to the next two races as crucial stepping stones to secure a spot in the top-4. After this intense period, the drivers will enjoy a three-month respite from the tracks. During a recent pre-race media session, Blaney also shared his plans for the upcoming offseason break, stating:
“I don’t know. I’m lazier in the winter, for sure. I drink a little bit more (laughing), but I enjoy the offseason… I just like to relax and just kind of unwind… I have no reason to be competitive in the winter.”
The Team Penske driver explained that since he wasn’t competing with anyone during the off-season, he prefers to enjoy things that he otherwise would not be able to do during regular competition.
However, Blaney was also realistic about his chances to fully unwind during the break, given his upcoming wedding. “I’m getting married, so it’ll be full blow. I’ll be focused on that when Phoenix is over, but I just turn the competitive nature off and just let your mind kind of rest a little bit.”
“Your mind is pretty tense through the year, so I think it’s nice to get that breath and relaxation even if it’s a month, it’s still nice. It’s better than nothing,” he reflected.
Blaney reveals that he experienced some nerves when he popped the question to his girlfriend
Last December 12, while vacationing at a mountain resort in central Washington, the #12 Team Penske driver, Blaney, proposed to his girlfriend, Gianna Tulio. Tulio shared the moment on social media, showing Blaney in a blue jacket, down on one knee, with the caption: “I said yes to my forever ️.”
According to The Athletic, although the #12 driver had planned to propose to his girlfriend even before he won the championship, Blaney admitted the proposal felt somewhat awkward.
He shared that he feels it’s an awkward thing. But that’s not because he felt that his girlfriend would say no, but he was wondering how he would sound while proposing.
Blaney and Tulio are set to marry this December in Aspen. On the race front, if Blaney manages to either secure another championship or even just earn a spot in the Championship 4 this season, it would cap off one of the most momentous years of his life, both personally and professionally after 2023 topping the list of course.
