1. What is currently the No. 1 thing on your bucket list?
Getting married. (Blaney and fiancée Gianna Tulio are planning to get married in December.) That’s something on my bucket list that hopefully I check off here soon, if all goes to plan.
How much are you involved in the wedding planning? Like are you giving input on what flowers you’ll have there?
I was told by some not to hire a wedding planner. But since we are not having it in-state, we need help, and I do not want her to be anxious on the day of the wedding or in the days before.
My wedding wish list consisted of just two items: a cowboy hat maker so that everyone who want one can have a bespoke cowboy hat. After that, I desired a cigar roller. Consequently, someone will be rolling cigars live.
2. How much media coverage of NASCAR do you consume?
A great deal. I make an effort to keep informed. Though I do not always pay attention to (X), that is where I get my news. Naturally, since I watch NASCAR, I get a lot of news from them. However, I will continue (X) with the news in general, asking myself, “What is going on in the world?” Furthermore, half of what you see on there is always unbelievable.
But there’s rarely a time when someone in the media will ask me “Did you see this? What do you think about this?” and I don’t know about it. It’s pretty rare. So I feel like I’m pretty up to date and I have a good team that kind of keeps me up on big stories in case I miss it. It kind of consumes your life just because you’re in it.
3. Beyond winning, what is the best way to measure success in racing?
As I have gotten older, I have a greater understanding of this. When I encounter children who are ten years younger than me, I attempt to imagine what it would be like to be a car owner and ask questions such, “How do you look at a driver?” Is it because of their skill at driving? How fast are they moving? What state is their racecraft in? I see a lot of guys who are very fast, but they do not have strong racecraft. You are a younger person, thus it is understandable that you make too many mistakes. Owners have a look at that.
What kind of person are you? is the next question. You get a lot of criticism for that. Are you kind to the people that support you, your admirers and followers? How do you come across to young children who look up to you as a role model? I try to take inspiration from those things and model myself after them.
Do you have to have each of those categories to be successful?
Really, all you have to do is prevail, and success will follow. Of course, people will judge you for it. However, I have also attempted to approach it from the perspective of: What do you want to leave behind when you stop doing this? You will not keep doing this. When you are through, what impression do you want to leave on people?
Many times, you may say, “He or she was a terrific racer,” but how did you handle the people in your life both during and after your career’s peak? I make it a point to approach every fan encounter as though it is my first; it makes no difference how many times I have met you—100 or 0 times. It only takes one time to be like a first impression, which are always enduring impressions., “I don’t like that guy. He was mean to me,” or, “He didn’t sign something.”
That’s how I looked at it when my dad (Dave Blaney) was running: Who was nice to me and who I liked with their personality as well as their on-track success.
4. What is an opinion you have about NASCAR that you don’t think is shared by the fans?
How challenging it is. That applies to all professional sports, too. I have never tried to hit a fastball that is traveling at 100 miles per hour. Although I am aware of how challenging it is, I have never placed myself in their position. The same holds true for racing. You have no idea how challenging it is to attempt to maintain an edge of control throughout every lap without going over.
How do you strive to reach that speed with your car and racecraft, and how do you outperform the 38 other persons in your immediate vicinity? Anyone can operate a race car, but how in the world can you outperform everyone else? The most challenging aspect of it is attempting to determine your limit and grip. Those who do not participate in racing are unable to understand the true difficulty of being a proficient and successful race car driver.
5. What is the biggest thing fans don’t realize about what you do for a living?
How much work is involved in the week before a race? How many hands must come into contact with a race car before it is ready to go? Additionally, the engineering process that goes into making an automobile, the number of people engaged, and all the minds involved in it, even before it is built. Getting good individuals around you and into your organization is extremely difficult.
It operates like any other business. Numerous individuals actively participate in the matter and make significant contributions, even if they go unacknowledged.
6. The next one is about a current topic concerning yourself. You recently went to the ESPYs and you met Daisy Ridley again. I imagine the first time you met Daisy Ridley, you were probably nervous and had butterflies. Was it any different this time? And how does that intro go? Like, do you walk up to her and say “Hey, I’m a NASCAR champion?” How does that work?
I did not tell her what I did when I met her at a Lakers game seven years prior; I just asked for a picture. That is not what I do. She is not giving a shit, is she? She was really kind when I simply asked for a photo of her.
And then when I saw her again at the ESPYs, it was the same thing. I was still pretty nervous. She was in conversation with somebody when we were backstage, so I just waited around and kept peeking over like, “Are you done with your conversation?” Because I don’t want to butt into a conversation and interrupt anybody.
And I literally said the same thing: “Hey, my apologies for asking, but would you be kind enough to take a picture with me? I’m a big fan. I love the movies you’ve been in, and I’m a huge Star Wars fan and I’d love to get a photo if that’s OK.” And she was super nice. She’s like, “Yeah, we can get one.” And that was the end of it. I said, “Pleasure to meet you. Sorry for interrupting. Hope you have a good night” and walked away.
Thus, it was essentially the same. My engagement is the only thing that has changed in the past seven years. (Laughs) However, it was the same situation, and it was amusing that it recurred after seven years.
7. The question after that is a wild card. You mentioned on the “Dale Jr. Download” that you hope to have children in the future and that pushing them to race is something you do not want to do. Because you mentioned that your father never pressured you to race and that he constantly asked you if you were sure you wanted to continue doing this. So, where in your life did you experience that shift? When did it change from “I am racing with my buddies for fun” to “I want to do this for a living”?
There were various stages. At nine, I began racing. For a few years, it was just enjoyable, and then I started driving Legend automobiles. I was still quite a young person. After that, I began managing Late Models, which is a significant step that requires a significant time effort. I was trying to find out what I wanted to do when I started high school.
I ran a couple years in Late Models, and was like, “OK, I want to try to make a career out of this.” I was probably 15 at the time. I was like, “I’d like to try to take the next steps and I can possibly have a shot.” Then we started running K&N and ARCA cars, and running pretty well. I was like, “OK, I can hopefully get recognized by a team and have a job for the future.”
I had no idea how this would end or whether I would have the chance to pursue other opportunities or if I would spend the rest of my life running Late Models. Fortunately, we succeeded. However, you still have to hope that you can one day make it to the Cup level in Trucks and Xfinity and that you stick around for the full two years of the Cup.
8. What do you like about the place you grew up?
High Point, North Carolina is where I was raised. Since I left that place, a lot has changed. In spite of the fact that it was a small town, I was surrounded by wonderful friends and family who did not give a damn about what my dad or I did. They were wonderful individuals who consistently welcomed me. I lived literally down the road from a couple of my second families, and I spent a lot of time with them.
Although a lot has changed and grown, there were few activities available and everyone in the area knew one another. All in all, I thought it was a nice neighborhood, with the people there being its best feature. You felt like you had your own little place, even though it was only an hour away from Charlotte. The town’s simplicity itself was always pleasant.
And in High Point you’re not in the heart of racing country. You didn’t have racing people around all the time.
When I moved to Mooresville when I was eighteen or nineteen and got an apartment there, things were very different. It was a racing metropolis, where it is impossible to go somewhere without running into someone you know or someone who works for a race team. It was none of that back home.
9. What personality trait are you the most proud of?
My constant goal is to show individuals the utmost empathy. I was brought up to treat people the way I wanted to be treated. And because I have always made an effort to treat people nicely, I almost always treat them a little bit better even when they do not treat me right. That is what I am most proud of, and my mother, who has always taught me in that manner, has much contributed to it. I am glad I have that kind of personality.
10. Which driver would you least like to be stuck with on an elevator?
Oh my. Anyone would find it unpleasant to be stranded in an elevator. Even if I am forced to spend time with Wallace’s Bubba or Elliott’s Chase, two of his closest pals, it will still be awful. That is similar to your constant questioning of me about people I dislike. I am aware of your actions! (laughs)
11. What is a run-in you’ve had with a driver that TV or the media missed?
Recalling Germán Quiroga? The week prior to my victory in Canada, he and I got into an altercation at Bristol during a Truck Series race. He was prepared, as in prepared to battle. It was not anything major—we just raced each other hard and beat one other up—but he was revved up. And then I recall that David Hoots, the former race director of NASCAR, sat us down in the NASCAR truck in Canada and told us not to touch each other. When at the racetrack, avoid passing each other. I am parking both of you or I want nothing at all. You say to yourself, “Okay, I am not going to do this,” when David Hoots gives you instructions.
And that was the catalyst for Canada’s epic race. On that road course at (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park), he and I were racing for the win and never came into contact. Simply passed one another by. Without that conversation with Hoots, the race would have been completely different because we would have simply destroyed one another. However, it resulted in one of the best Truck finishes in a very long time. Furthermore, there was not much coverage or traction for the entire incident.
12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next person. The last one was with Chandler Smith. He says: “Who is one driver in the Cup Series you don’t look forward to racing against and why?”
When it comes to racing others, everyone has their proclivities. Running against these people for an extended period of time teaches you that. Do they enjoy placing you in awkward circumstances in an effort to get you to lift? They enjoy trying to get you to lift, just like Denny (Hamlin) and Kyle Larson. Though it is not a terrible thing, they enjoy occupying a lot of room. To put you in a tight place, they want to throw it in there and push you up the racetrack if they are on the inside.
I would not say I do not enjoy it; those guys are fantastic racers, therefore I really enjoy racing with them. But in the back of my mind, I am thinking, “Oh, they might take a lot of space and I just have to be ready for it,” if I do have to resume next to those men.
Speaking of Denny, the next interview is with him. Do you have a question I might be able to ask him?
What is the most amount of money that Michael Jordan (MJ) has ever wagered with you on the golf course? That is what I am curious about. Per hole or overall is possible. What is the maximum number it has reached?
(Top photo of Ryan Blaney: James Gilbert / Getty Images)
