“I Was Like a Kid Again” – Ryan Blaney Reflects on His Encounter With ‘The King’ Richard Petty Ahead of His Birthday

On July 2nd, the legendary Richard Petty will celebrate his 85th birthday. The 7-time Cup Series champion has been an iconic figure in the NASCAR community, and along with the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., personifies not just NASCAR but racing in America itself. Recently, Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney opened up on a special encounter with the former driver.

He said, “It’s been a pleasure to get to know him throughout the years. I’ve had my passings with him, ‘Hey! How are you?’. Talking a little bit. It was really neat, I got to sit down with him. We were testing at Charlotte in the off season in the new car. He came over to our garage stall and sat down and talked to me for 20 minutes. Kinda BSing about his car and other random things. I thought it was super cool that he came over and started talking to me. He’s such a great guy. I was a kid, I loved the guy and things like that, growing up around the sport. It was really neat to know who he was at a young age and to be around him. Sitting down for 20 minutes, casually at Charlotte, it was like the coolest thing ever and I was like a kid again. Getting to talk to The King, was very neat.”

READ MORE: Bubba Wallace Reveals His Fondest Memory of Richard Petty During Their Time Together

What next for Richard Petty and Ryan Blaney?

Currently, the 84-year-old 7-time champion is overseeing the 2022 Cup season with his Petty GMS Racing. Both of his drivers, Ty Dillon and Erik Jones have had an up and down campaign. Jones sits in 16th place, and he has yet to win a race, while Dillon is further down in 26th place. Obviously, this is not ideal for either of them, especially the latter. However, this is the first season with the Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing union.

As for Ryan Blaney, the Team Penske driver is focusing on his own Cup Series campaign. The #12 driver sits in 3rd place in the championship, despite not winning a race this season. Of course, he will be aiming to correct that oversight and add himself to the growing list of 2022 Cup winners. However, this is easier said than done, and Blaney will have to work hard.

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