Ryan Blaney

[00:00:00] This is Shelby and Aaron and we are in Lebanon, Tennessee hanging out with Ryan Blaney ahead of the Alley 400 tomorrow. I'm so excited to talk to you. How are you feeling about this weekend? Good. Yeah, it's nice to be up in Nashville.

[00:00:24] It's been a long weekend but it's always nice to be here. So you're coming back, you had that hard crash here last year and I saw that they had put some tire barriers down on that wall. Did you have to pay for the fucking tire barriers?

[00:00:39] No, luckily I didn't have to. I'm happy they did something because that wasn't until last year but yeah at least they did something. You know, it's not a soft wall, at least it's tires.

[00:00:50] It helps out a tremendous amount so yeah, luckily I didn't have to get open my checkbook So I was telling Shelby that I was standing right at the end of the wall so I probably got the best video of that wreck that I've gotten.

[00:01:06] You can just see how hard you hit on that one. Yeah, I didn't know it was a concrete wall until I hit it. I don't really pay attention to that stuff.

[00:01:16] During the weekend I just feel like everything is the way it should be and as soon as I hit it I was like, holy shit man, that was way harder than I've ever hit anything in my life but I wasn't going that fast.

[00:01:27] I got out and looked at it and was like, oh well that makes sense. So yeah, luckily it got changed but yeah, that was no fun. The week after was no fun either and fortunately something got done about it.

[00:01:38] I hope to not find the new tires out there this weekend but at least it's there. Well you've been having a hell of a season so far. You've already got one win and you probably should have three already.

[00:01:50] Does already having the win in your pocket kind of make things easier going forward as far as preparing for the playoffs? It does. I'm excited to finally get the win in Iowa.

[00:02:00] A few weeks ago, like you said, I thought we had a couple others that kind of slipped our fingers. Gateway, going to Haunted in Atlanta and just barely missed it. Honestly, I thought I had a good shot to win it loud last week and got wrecked there at

[00:02:14] the end but yeah, it's been a good year. I feel like we're honestly in a better spot this year at this point than where we were last year so that's good and hopefully we can just keep going.

[00:02:24] I'd like to get a guitar this weekend, win a trophy here. We'll see. I'm proud of the effort so far. Just got to keep going. Do you get nervous before races anymore or are you way past that?

[00:02:35] No, I think there's some butterfly moments, big moments, things like that. It's like, alright, how do you kind of push those down and just focus ahead and not get that way but we just do it so often. It's just what we do every week.

[00:02:52] Yeah, before Phoenix last year there were a little bit of butterflies kind of before you get in the car but once you get in the car everything just kind of goes away. It's all like the lead up, all this stuff you got to do beforehand and anticipation

[00:03:06] of just getting in and doing your job. That's where all drivers are comfortable, just when you can finally do your job and not have any outside noise around you. That's part of it.

[00:03:17] You have to learn to deal with it but it's very rare moments I get nervous anymore. Has the pressure been any different this year coming back to all these tracks as a defending champ? Do you feel... No, no, really no pressure.

[00:03:28] The drive to go back to back is big. No one's gone back to back in the new format so there's a huge opportunity to do something really cool and that's why I just kind of keep telling my folks, we're the only people

[00:03:44] that had this opportunity to go back to back this year. I think that's what's kind of our drive and motivation is how do we figure out how to do it again. That's the challenge of it, right?

[00:03:53] You've done it, you feel like you have a good grasp of how to do it but it's really hard to do it again. Everything has to kind of go perfectly. You have to perform.

[00:04:01] Me, I do, everyone on our group has to perform to the best of their ability and then just whatever happens, happens. All you can do is just try the best that you can and if you...

[00:04:12] I've always been a person of like, whatever happens at the end of the day happens but all I can do is just give it everything you got and whatever, you know, your willing forces make it, you know, that is the outcome.

[00:04:28] Do you like the current format of it all coming down to one race or would you rather have like a three race final round? I personally would like to see like a three or five race like final.

[00:04:39] You're a pretty laid back guy, kind of soft spoken but then once you get the helmet on there's some pretty interesting radio chatter. Does that just heed the moment competition? Yeah, you know, it's funny.

[00:04:52] It's gotten like a lot of kind of notoriety in like the last year or two. Like it's been my whole life. Like that's just kind of... That's just always who I've been. They say that you get qualities from your parents and that's something I've gotten from my dad.

[00:05:06] I mean my dad is just like me. So I got that trait from him, very soft spoken, kind of in everyday life and then I think just get something that you're passionate about.

[00:05:19] You know, you get pretty animated and to me it's kind of like I've tried to work on it and I've just gotten nowhere. And it's almost like just like a pop off out for me and it's like a blowing off steam because

[00:05:32] I try to let things go really quick and I feel like if I don't kind of get like something out in five seconds, 10 seconds, I just like bundle it in.

[00:05:43] So that like during races and stuff I just gotta get it out and get it out and done and I moved it on and it's over with. And people were like, well why don't you push the button? Like, you know, the radio button.

[00:05:53] Why do you just not push it? It's like you have no idea. You have no idea. It feels like you're there just talking to yourself. Yeah, someone has to hear this. I just have to vent to somebody. Yeah. So that's why people go to therapy, right?

[00:06:05] They don't sit in the room by themselves and talk about their problems to themselves. They go to a person to listen to them. So it's almost just the same. So it's just like I got to do it, get it out. It's over with.

[00:06:14] I've moved on and now I can kind of focus back on the thing at hand. But yeah, it's pretty funny. It gets a lot of publicity, I guess. Speaking of your dad, we filmed an interview of you when you were just a kid, basically

[00:06:29] started racing and you say that your dad was out racing too so we call and check on you three times a day. What does that look like now? How many times a day is he calling you?

[00:06:37] Yeah, I mean it's definitely gone down as I've gotten to be an adult. But I mean dad's still a huge part of my life. Lucky to have that. He's usually the first guy I call Sunday nights or Mondays just to kind of just talk and that's

[00:06:53] just kind of how it's always been. So I've been lucky to have a dad that was kind of in the racing industry, right? And he understands everything about it. He's been through the ringer and he gets it.

[00:07:02] So yeah, it's just definitely not as much as it used to be but it's still nice to be able to have that person talk about how this went, how that went, just to call it a BS. That part's something I'm pretty lucky to have that really.

[00:07:16] So one thing that people who don't really watch NASCAR always ask about and I think even Steve was asking you last time is going to the bathroom in the car. And Denny this year has really become a fan of peeing in his car. Wow. I didn't know that.

[00:07:31] I didn't know that he was talking about it on his podcast but he was talking about how he did it for the first time and now he just talks about how much he loves it.

[00:07:38] So are you going in your car as much as Denny or do you try to hold it during the race or what's your bathroom routine? I feel bad for Denny's interior guy. He's got to clean out all that stuff. I've never done it.

[00:07:50] I've never pissed myself during a race. There's been times I've wanted to. I'm like, I just can't bring myself to do this, you know, because, you know, our sport, you lose five pounds during a race, just water.

[00:08:02] And sometimes if you don't time it right, like if you don't have to go right before the race, like you, that's just how you got to do it. And usually you sweat it all out. But sometimes if it's a colder race, you don't sweat.

[00:08:10] So sitting in the car for four hours, you're gonna have to go. And some guys do it. I've been to the almost the breaking point and I have not done it. I just can't, can't bring myself to do it as a grown man.

[00:08:23] I just can't piss my pants. And, um, but yeah, everyone's a little bit different. I mean, you're not getting out. Right. So it's like, if it's a do or die situation, you're going to do what you have to do. Uh, but yeah, I haven't done it.

[00:08:33] I don't plan on doing it, but maybe, uh, you never know. There might come a day where it's like, I've got to do this or I'm going to have my bladders going to explode. But, um, I haven't gotten to that breaking point yet.

[00:08:45] I feel like I would be the same as you just getting over that mental hurdle. I think. Yeah. Like I haven't pissed myself since I was, you know, single digits. So I don't plan on starting that train when I'm 30. Who was the hardest driver for you to pass?

[00:08:59] Um, I mean, everyone can be difficult. Like, and it just depends on how difficult they want to be. Newman was always super hard. Ryan Newman. Um, he was just a really hard guy who would just never give you any breaks. Um, and that's just what he was.

[00:09:16] I mean, Chastain's gotten pretty tough of like, if he wants to keep you behind him, you know, he's got good methods of kind of doing that. Um, I think that's a pretty tough one.

[00:09:25] Um, fortunately I'm a teammate, so it's usually a little bit more give or take, but I've noticed like, you know, do this deal and, and, you know, if you kind of get what you give.

[00:09:35] So if you're kind of, if you have a good relationship with somebody, you're nice to them, you let them go through the year or something like that, they'll usually return the favor. So it's just kind of that unspoken bond. Um, but yeah, I'd say Chastain's pretty difficult.

[00:09:50] Um, he just knows how to kind of put you in tough spots to pass him. And, uh, I mean, that's just racing. I mean, I don't expect anybody to lay over for me ever. Uh, but yeah, I'd say he's, he's probably one of the toughest ones.

[00:10:01] With, uh, you driving for Penske, do you have any interest in doing the double like Newman tried this year or like, uh, Waterson tried this year? Uh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I think it's just a cool feat as a driver.

[00:10:13] If you can do that, that's a lot of miles of racing. Not many guys have been able to do it, you know, through the years, I think there's less than 10, you know, that have done it all time. And it's just neat.

[00:10:22] I mean, I think just being able to be a part of the Indy 500 would be cool. Get on a plane, hop over and go run 600 more miles that night. So it's definitely on my radar. I'd like to do it.

[00:10:33] I enjoyed watching Larson's journey this year of keeping up with him. It was kind of how it all was talking to him about like, you know, how's this going? How's that going? Cause I'm just a big motorsports fan. Like I love IndyCar F1, every everything.

[00:10:44] And, um, it's always just piqued my interest. So yeah, never know. Never know. Maybe sometime down the road. And I can't imagine this frustration this year with how that all went down. That's gotta be. Yeah, he had a good run going.

[00:10:54] Um, had a good run going to Indy and had that issue on Pit Road and then flew all the way to Charlotte and they called it right when he got there. So hopefully next year goes a little bit smoother for him if he doesn't get into those circumstances.

[00:11:05] Yeah. We love having you on the podcast because we're NASCAR fans, but you're also a big country music fan. You came out to Whiskey Meyers in Bristol and they introduced you last year. Did you have a chance to meet them and hang out with them?

[00:11:18] Yeah, I've known the Whiskey guys for a few years. Um, really great people. Um, I've been able to see a handful of their shows and they just put on an awesome show. I mean, those guys are fantastic.

[00:11:28] Um, I've had them out at the Texas track a couple of times and they're big race fans and it's cool when you can kind of share interests like that of like, I'm a fan of what you guys do.

[00:11:38] They're a fan of what I do and you kind of, you know, have those similarities with each other and yeah, they're, they're great. So I just love, I mean, it's not often I can go to shows. You know, our schedule is, it's tough.

[00:11:48] Um, sometimes if I'm lucky it lines up like there are people are close on the weekends where I can go see or some miracle they're playing during the week we're at home or something like that.

[00:11:59] I just saw Cody Jinks and Whitey Morgan a couple of weeks ago in Charlotte. That was great. And so yeah, I've been able to go to a lot of cool places and venues. I saw Whiskey play at Red Rock last year.

[00:12:08] Uh, me and my fiancee, I love Red Rock. I've seen a lot of my favorites play out there and heard there was some UFOs out there this week too. So that was interesting. Um, but yeah, yeah. Big, big music guy.

[00:12:18] I just love all forms of music and new country, old country. I just, I enjoy people the most like getting to meet these people, hearing their stories. How do you go about this process? Like that's fascinating to me of, uh, the imagination that those folks have.

[00:12:34] Like how do you a write a song that appeals to you and people? How do you put a melody to it? Like all that stuff is just mind blowing to me. I don't have that type of imagination.

[00:12:45] And then they asked me about my job and they couldn't, can't fathom it either. So it's, it's cool to have, you know, completely different things with what we do, but at the same time, I know it's always fascinating. It's like, how do you do it?

[00:12:56] Like, how do you go about this process? And, uh, so yeah, it's, uh, it's been neat to meet a lot of guys. The NASCAR drivers have put out a couple albums over the years. It's been a while. It's been a while.

[00:13:08] But, uh, you know, Richard Petty singing King of the Road or anything like that. Any interest in bringing that back? Coles Fondel and I have talked about writing a song together for some time now. Uh, Cole's a good buddy of mine.

[00:13:19] I've known him for a long time and, uh, he's a great guy. And, um, we've, we've messed around with the idea of sitting down one night and writing one. Yeah. Never know. Never know all that stuff's fun. I need some help.

[00:13:32] I just can't sit down and do it. But like I said, those guys are amazing at what they do. I don't know how they do it, but, uh, yeah, you never know. I could see it happening, honestly. Yeah, yeah, you never know. Never know.

[00:13:43] I had Cole and Tim Duggar come out to my championship party last year. And they, I convinced them to sing a little bit. So that was fun. Then they drove me up there and I killed the room. But it's, it's fun to hang with those guys.

[00:13:53] Out of the drivers, who would you trust giving the aux to? And who would you not trust? Um, I mean, it's the easy answer of who I would trust is just guys I'm buddies with. Like Chase and Bubba. Um, then a lot of road trips with those guys.

[00:14:08] And it's funny because Chase and Bubba have very different music styles. Chase is a very country music guy. Bubba's a metalhead. And I like both. I grew up a metalhead. And, um, so it's just different vibes you're going to get with whoever's in the car.

[00:14:22] Uh, then Bubba likes some country. He's a big Stapleton and Childers guy. I've been pushing him on some new stuff too. He likes Charlie Crockett a lot. So that's nice. But, uh, yeah, those two guys I would definitely trust.

[00:14:33] Someone I wouldn't trust, Cendric is a interesting music listener. I've had to go a couple road trips. He's got some interesting tunes that he plays. Um, I like hearing it. Something different.

[00:14:45] It's nice to get out of your comfort zone of what you like to listen to all the time. Especially if you're on a road trip and you want to fucking put your head out the window and scream when you're in the car for eight hours or so.

[00:14:55] But, uh, yeah. Like, uh, back in the day, Mark Martin, he was a big, you know, hardcore rap guy. Is there anything on your playlist that would surprise people? Um, yeah, I don't know.

[00:15:04] I mean, I'm a fan of some music more than others, but like I said, I grew up a metalhead. Like I had Slipknot posters in my room, um, growing up and I've gotten into even heavier stuff than them. Um, on occasion, uh, I'm a big rap guy.

[00:15:19] Like I grew up my generation, like when I was like a little Wayne was huge and that whole cash money folks were big, big Jake whole guy. Uh, he's from North Carolina.

[00:15:31] So yeah, I think I have a good plethora of music on my iPad and they're all different for different albums or different playlists for different situations.

[00:15:39] But, uh, I think the thing that shocks most people is to learn that I'm like a metalhead, like really heavy, hard stuff, like super heavy. I was playing for people and they're like, what is he saying? Like what I'm like, he's got to pay attention.

[00:15:52] But, uh, the metalhead stuff usually surprises people. What was the influence there? Was your dad like that too? No, dad loved, uh, dad love like pink growing up. Um, so I never really, I don't know.

[00:16:07] I just think like, uh, I was just at this, this mindset of like, I was a pretty introverted kid and, and I think a lot of introverted kids like love, like metal music and just like jamming to it and stuff.

[00:16:19] But, uh, yeah, I don't know how I just got become a fan of like corn and Slipknot and, and all those guys. And so there wasn't really any influence. I think I just enjoyed that stuff. Those guys are like the nicest dudes ever.

[00:16:30] Every head of heavy metal artists, everyone's like, damn, they sound angry. I'm like, they're the nicest people you will ever meet in your life. And, uh, like nicer than some country folks that you think, oh yeah, that's a nice guy. Like actually it's the opposite.

[00:16:43] Like some of these guys are jerks, but every metal guy I've met ever is such a nice dude. And a lot of them actually surprisingly enough with joy racing, like they love racing and they watch it like every weekend. So I've got to ask about this.

[00:16:54] Bubba a couple of years ago, he posted a video. I think it was you and him dancing behind the bar. I don't know if you've seen it dancing to the get up of Blanco Brown. Where'd you get your dance moves?

[00:17:05] Oh, we were on vacation, uh, in Turks and Caicos. And, uh, I really have no idea where I got my dance moves. I had two sisters. I might've learned some from them. Yeah. I have no idea. Yeah.

[00:17:18] That video surfaces a little bit every now and then and a big hip movement, big hip movement guy. So yeah, I don't know. I think that that's a sister influence right there. I had a, I had a watch them, you know, dance all growing up.

[00:17:30] And, uh, I think I picked up some traits. You look like you're having fun and you've talked about not being able to give up drinking during the season. What are you usually drinking? Yeah, it's hard.

[00:17:42] I mean, uh, I'll tell you nothing that tastes better than a beer after a race, like an ice cold beer. Um, and the good thing about drinking after races doesn't take many to get you where you want to go. So dehydrating.

[00:17:53] It's the most like cost efficient way to drink. I've always said, because you are so dehydrated and like you have three and you're, you're ready to pass out. Big beer drinker. It's kind of varied through the years, but right now a big Coors Light and Amadello guy.

[00:18:09] You can get your hands on a Coors Banquet. That's a, that's a delight. Also big bourbon guy. So I really enjoy a lot of different types of bourbons. Never been like a, with like a vodka tequila guy.

[00:18:21] I just can't do it too many bad experiences when I was younger. I just, I just can't stand the smell of it anymore. But, uh, I think beer is always tops it. I always have to make sure I have, they make motelitos now. You see that?

[00:18:34] So like seven ounces, they're adorable. It's fun, but it's not because you'll finish one. You're like, I gotta get up and get another one. You finished one in like three seconds, but, uh, yeah, yeah. But they're nice. They're nice little tiny bottles. It's shrunken down.

[00:18:48] So I shrunk it down bottle, but yeah, I've always enjoyed being a beer drink. It helps me keep my carbs up. I'm not a very big guy, so I got to keep some weight on me somehow. Yeah.

[00:18:57] What's your, where since we're here in Nashville, do you have a favorite bar here? Um, I love Red Door. Uh, that's probably my favorite, uh, here. That whole kind of row, like there's Red Door, there's Losers right down the road. Midtown area. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:19:12] So that, that whole kind of area is nice. Like Broadway is nice. I mean, but it's like, I feel like if you first time in Nashville, you got to go Broadway. You got to experience all like the high rises, three story bars and stuff like that.

[00:19:25] And I try to check out if there's new places. Like I haven't been to chiefs yet. Um, I want to look at, I want to see it just because I thought it's a new bar. I like Eric Church.

[00:19:34] So to be, uh, I'd say Red Door is like one of my favorites. Pretty small. Uh, so that part is that, oh, there's a one. My buddy brought me to batter's box. It has been a batter's box. That's a good one.

[00:19:45] It's a very old school, like low key. I just, I kind of like this place because Broadway gets so crowded. That's what I'll go over there. So it's just a, it's good. But yeah, Red Door, I have a lot, a lot of fond memories of Red Door.

[00:19:57] So you, uh, talked about, I think it was on bus of boys you talked about when you were living on the Dale Jr property and come home after a race and go over there and party afterwards with him.

[00:20:09] Do you have any stories from there that you can share? Yeah, that was like a couple of the funnest years of my life. Like I had so much fun living next to Dale. He was just right through the woods.

[00:20:19] So you just take like a four wheeler through the woods and get home from races and it was like my rookie years, my first two years of cups. So when he was still racing, so like, you know, being a young 23 year old,

[00:20:31] you know, and getting to go hang out with Dale after these races and, uh, was, was a lot of fun. And he was always super nice to me. And I think one of the coolest things he ever did was I won my first race in Pocono in 17.

[00:20:41] He blew up like halfway through that race. So he was home. So we won and I got back and right. Your first win, you're going to celebrate a lot. And, uh, he already had everything ready at my house.

[00:20:53] Like was waiting outside my house with his buddies, like stocked everything brought like eight coolers over there. It was like ready to go. So I was like, man, that's super nice to that guy. Right. He had a bad day.

[00:21:04] Obviously didn't run like he wanted to end it early, but he was just the shows, the kind of guy he is and he's going to make sure that his, his buddy is ready to go for his first one. Cause he's, he's been to his first one before.

[00:21:15] So, um, yeah, tons of fun. Gosh, Dale is such a good guy. And I had a lot of fun over there. Um, do you hate driving when you're not racing and what is your daily driver? Yeah. I mean, I don't like hate driving when I'm not racing.

[00:21:28] I'm a very slow driver on the roads. Uh, people think that I get a little speed demon on the roads. I'm like, it's actually the opposite. Like I'm very slow on the roads. I have nowhere to be very fast.

[00:21:37] I always say, I get, I get paid to go really fast in my job and I don't get paid to go fast on the roads. I just go to jail. So it's like, I gotta weigh those out. Daily driver. Yeah. I don't know.

[00:21:49] I got, um, I say my favorite car. I got, I got an 85 Bronco that I love drive. Uh, my newest one that I love, I have a Ranger Raptor. Uh, they just came out with them this year. It was a gift from Ford. A little Rangers. Awesome.

[00:22:01] I loved like the nineties Rangers. All those nineties, like midsize trucks. I think were just super cool. So that's like a perfect truck. Me and my fiance, she can drive the heck out of it. I have a big Raptor and it's that thing's a tank. It's too big.

[00:22:11] Uh, but the little Ranger, like it's perfect. You can get it anywhere you want to go. She loves driving it. I say that's probably one of my favorites right now is that little Ranger. And to wrap it up, what is your favorite sad country song?

[00:22:21] Oh, favorite sad country song. Um, my good. I love Johnny paycheck. Only hell my mom I ever raised. It's a good one. That's not like a sad song, sad songs and waltzes. That's a pretty good one.

[00:22:31] I think that's a, that's a really good one by Willie and Tyler children's. Actually. I don't know if you guys seen this YouTube video, like Handwrit on a pew. And he's like, that's all. That's a great rendition of that song. Yeah. Sad songs and waltzes.

[00:22:41] I think that's a, that's a good sad country song. Yeah. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Yeah.