Ryan Blaney, who currently sits seventh on the points table, has been one of the strongest drivers this season. The 2023 Cup Series champion earned himself a playoff spot with a win at Nashville. Since making his full-time debut in 2016, Blaney has reached Victory Lane 14 times. But seldom does he do burnouts after winning, and there is a great story behind it.
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Burnouts are almost always a spur-of-the-moment move and come only because fans want the winning driver to do them. In an interview with NASCAR earlier this month, Blaney said that he never plans to do a post-victory burnout.
The Team Penske driver explained that he isn’t very good at burnouts since he doesn’t do them often. And when he does do it, he ends up doing only half a burnout, so he doesn’t fry his car.
Blaney gave his burnouts a score of six out of ten. He then referred to the well-known Dale Inman story that made him slightly averse to burnouts. Inman had told him how the winner of the Kentucky Derby doesn’t beat his horse after getting off it, and that a NASCAR winner shouldn’t be abusing his car either.
Those words stuck with Blaney. “When I see him at the racetrack, he’d grab you by the collarbone and say what he wants. He’s like, ‘Why the hell did you do that?’ Or things like that,” he said.
“Dale’s a great guy and great to me. One of the legends of the sport. I always think of him before I do it. I’m like, he might not approve, but I’m doing it anyway,” added Blaney.
Inman is a highly respected figure in NASCAR. His work with Richard Petty as a crew chief is the stuff of legends and includes 193 race wins and eight Cup Series championships.
Inman’s advice to not abuse the winning vehicle showcases the profound respect that he had for his craft. But not everyone carries Blaney’s sentiment.
Doing burnouts is a fun way for drivers to celebrate their achievements and entertain their fans. Chase Elliott, for instance, is known for doing lengthy burnouts after winning races. At the end of the day, neither choice can be written off as right or wrong. It’s a matter of personal choice.
