Ryan Blaney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ryan Blaney
Blaney at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024
Born	Ryan Michael Blaney (1993-12-31) December 31, 1993 (age 31) Hartford Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg)
Achievements	2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion 2023 Coca-Cola 600 Winner 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race Winner 2018 Can-Am Duel Winner 10th driver in history to win a NASCAR race in all 3 national series at the same track (Iowa) 2011 PASS South Super Late Model Series Champion 2010 CRA Southern Six-Pack Champion 2009 Eastern Grand Nationals Champion
Awards	2009 PASS South Super Late Model Series Rookie of the Year 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver
NASCAR Cup Series career
342 races run over 11 years
Car no., team	No. 12 (Team Penske)
2024 position	2nd
Best finish	1st (2023)
First race	2014 5-hour Energy 400 (Kansas)
Last race	2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix)
First win	2017 Axalta presents the Pocono 400 (Pocono)
Last win	2024 Xfinity 500 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 13 149 10
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
70 races run over 8 years
2019 position	83rd
Best finish	22nd (2015)
First race	2012 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 (Richmond)
Last race	2019 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (Darlington)
First win	2013 Kentucky 300 (Kentucky)
Last win	2018 My Bariatrics Solutions 300 (Texas)
Wins Top tens Poles 7 57 3
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
58 races run over 4 years
2015 position	81st
Best finish	2nd (2014)
First race	2012 UNOH 200 (Bristol)
Last race	2015 WinStar World Casino & Resort 350 (Texas)
First win	2012 American Ethanol 200 (Iowa)
Last win	2015 UNOH 200 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles 4 40 5
Statistics current as of November 10, 2024.

Ryan Michael Blaney (born December 31, 1993) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Team Penske, driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. In 2023, he became the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion. Ryan comes from a racing family; his dad, Dave Blaney, was also a NASCAR driver, and his grandpa, Lou Blaney, raced on dirt tracks.

Ryan Blaney's Racing Journey

Starting Young: Early Racing Career

Blaney's 2011 ARCA car at IRP

Ryan Blaney is a third-generation racer. He started racing quarter midget cars when he was just 9 years old and won his very first race! He also competed and won in Bandolero cars.

At age 12, Ryan moved up to Legends cars. He won the Summer Shootout at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He also won three different divisions in quarter midgets at the Carolina Fall Nationals.

When he was 15, Ryan started racing in the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model Series. He finished second in points and was named the series' Rookie of the Year. He also won the Eastern Grand Nationals in Alabama and the Gasoline Alley National Championship in Indiana.

Blaney's 2011 PASS car at North Wilkesboro

In 2010, Ryan got his first win in the PASS South Super Late Model Series at Dillon Motor Speedway. He won two more races that year and finished second in the championship again. Ryan also won the Champion Racing Association (CRA) Southern Six-Pack series championship. In 2011, he won two more PASS South races and became the series champion.

Moving Up: NASCAR Racing

First Steps in K&N Pro Series and ARCA (2011–2013)

In 2011, Ryan started racing in the ARCA Racing Series and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East. He did really well, finishing in the top ten in every race. He even won his first NASCAR race in the K&N Pro Series West season finale at Phoenix International Raceway. He won by more than two seconds!

Famous drivers like Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick praised Ryan's driving skills. In 2012, he continued racing in the K&N Pro Series East for his family's team, DB Racing.

Racing in Xfinity and Trucks (2012–2015)

In 2012, Ryan also started racing in the Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series). He signed with Tommy Baldwin Racing and finished seventh in his first race at Richmond International Raceway.

Later in 2012, Ryan joined Team Penske for some Nationwide Series races. He also raced in the Camping World Truck Series for Brad Keselowski Racing. He finished sixth in his first Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ryan then won his first Truck Series race on September 15, 2012, at Iowa Speedway. At 18 years old, he was the youngest winner in Truck Series history at that time!

Blaney's 2013 truck at Rockingham

In 2013, Ryan raced full-time in the Truck Series for Brad Keselowski Racing. He won his first pole position (starting first) at Kentucky Speedway. He also won his second Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway. That same year, he won his first Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway, leading 96 laps. He was the only winner in the 2013 Nationwide season who hadn't raced in the top-level Sprint Cup Series yet.

In 2014, Ryan continued racing full-time in the Truck Series. He also raced in 15 Nationwide Series races and two Sprint Cup Series races for Team Penske. He won his second Nationwide race at Bristol Motor Speedway in August, beating Kyle Busch. The next week, he won his first Truck Series race of 2014 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in a very close finish.

Blaney's 2015 Xfinity car at Road America

In 2015, Ryan had a strong Xfinity Series season. He finished second in several races, including at Las Vegas and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He won at Iowa and again at the Kentucky standalone race. He also got his second top-ten finish in the Sprint Cup Series at Kansas.

Reaching the Top: Cup Series Career (2014–Present)

Starting with Team Penske (2014)

In 2014, Team Penske opened a third car, the No. 12, for Ryan to make two starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He finished 27th in his first race at Kansas Speedway and 22nd at Talladega.

Racing for Wood Brothers Racing (2015–2017)

In 2015, Ryan raced in 20 Sprint Cup Series races for Wood Brothers Racing in the No. 21 Ford. He earned his first top-ten finish at Talladega, coming in fourth.

Blaney during practice for the 2016 Pure Michigan 400

In 2016, Ryan started racing full-time in the Cup Series with Wood Brothers Racing. He had a great first half of the season with several top-ten finishes, including a fifth place at Kansas. At Chicagoland, he led the race late but finished fourth. He was a strong contender for the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award but lost to Chase Elliott.

Blaney celebrating after winning the 2017 Axalta presents the Pocono 400

In 2017, Ryan's team was guaranteed a spot in every race. He finished second in the Daytona 500. He won his first career Cup Series pole position at Kansas. In June, he won his first Cup race at Pocono Raceway, holding off Kevin Harvick. This win qualified him for the playoffs.

Ryan made it to the Round of 8 in the playoffs. He finished ninth in the final Cup Series standings, which was the highest for a Wood Brothers Racing driver since 1994.

Returning to Team Penske (2018–Present)

Blaney after winning the 2018 Bank of America Roval 400

In 2018, Ryan moved back to Team Penske to drive the No. 12 car. He won his Can-Am Duel race and led the most laps in the Daytona 500, but finished seventh after a late crash. He won a pole position at Las Vegas and a stage at Martinsville.

Ryan won his first race with Team Penske at the Charlotte Roval. He passed the leaders after they crashed on the last lap. This win helped him advance to the Round of 12 in the playoffs. He finished the season tenth in points.

Blaney racing at Texas Motor Speedway in 2019

In 2019, Ryan was very consistent, staying in the top ten in points. He won the Talladega fall race in a photo finish, winning by just 0.007 seconds! This win moved him into the Round of 8 in the playoffs, but he was eliminated after the Phoenix race.

Blaney's No. 12 car at Michigan International Speedway in 2020

The 2020 Daytona 500 was a tough race for Ryan. He pushed leader Ryan Newman, which led to a big crash. Ryan later said talking to Newman helped him feel better about the incident. He won the GEICO 500 at Talladega, another photo finish win by 0.007 seconds. Ryan made the playoffs but was eliminated in the Round of 16. He finished the season ninth in points.

Blaney in the No. 12 at Darlington Raceway in 2021

In 2021, Ryan had his first season with multiple wins. He won at Atlanta and Michigan. The Atlanta win was special because his dad almost won the same race 20 years earlier. He then won the last race of the regular season at Daytona International Speedway, giving him three wins for the year. He entered the playoffs as the second-seeded driver and made it to the Round of 8, finishing seventh in the points standings.

Blaney in the No. 12 at Martinsville Speedway in 2022

Ryan started the 2022 season with a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Daytona 500. Even though he didn't win any races, he was very consistent, with many top-five and top-ten finishes. He won the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race. He made it into the playoffs by finishing 15th at the Daytona night race. He was eliminated after the Round of 8 but still finished eighth in the points standings.

Blaney's No. 12 car at Sonoma Raceway in 2023

The 2023 season was Ryan's championship year! He started with an eighth-place finish at the 2023 Daytona 500. He finished second at Phoenix and Talladega. He finally broke his 59-race winless streak by winning the 2023 Coca-Cola 600, leading many laps. After this win, he was at the top of the points standings.

Later in the season, Ryan had a scary crash at Nashville Superspeedway, which caused him to have concussion-like symptoms. He asked NASCAR to add a SAFER barrier to that wall for safety. During the playoffs, Ryan had strong runs and won at Talladega in another super close finish, winning by just 0.012 seconds! He then won at Martinsville, securing his spot in the Championship 4.

In the final race at Phoenix, Ryan competed against Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Kyle Larson. He battled hard, especially with Larson, and finished second in the race. This second-place finish was enough to clinch the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship!

In 2024, Ryan started his championship defense. He had a very close second-place finish at Atlanta, losing by just 0.003 seconds in a three-wide photo finish. He won his first race of the season at the new Iowa race. A month later, he won at Pocono again. In the playoffs, he made it to the Championship 4 for the second year in a row by winning at Martinsville. He finished second in the final race at Phoenix, with his teammate Joey Logano winning the championship.

About Ryan Blaney's Life

Ryan is the only son of Lisa and Dave Blaney. He has two sisters, Emma and Erin. He is good friends with other drivers like Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, and Chase Elliott. Ryan is a big fan of Star Wars.

He has several tattoos, including a Star Wars design on his right leg. He also has a sprint car tattoo on his left side and the number 10 on his chest, which is a tribute to the number he often raced when he was younger.

Ryan Blaney is married to model Gianna Tulio.

Motorsports Career Highlights

Ryan Blaney has competed in various NASCAR series. Here's a look at his performance in the Daytona 500, one of NASCAR's biggest races:

Daytona 500 Results

See also

In Spanish: Ryan Blaney para niños