What if you enter a series and win the very first race? But what if you have won the speedway in all three of the national series? The least you can ask for is a special prize. In 2012, Ryan Blaney won at the Iowa Speedway for the Craftsmen Truck Series, and then again in 2015 while racing in the Xfinity Series, and now, in 2024, in the Cup Series.

And, while he may be asking for a small thing, the considerate 30-year-old driver has some pretty solid warning for the boss. What are we talking about?

Ryan Blaney at Iowa: The race, the demand, and the warning

The win was special. Blaney led 201 of 350 laps, including the last 88 laps of the race. Plus, it was his career’s eleventh victory. He had made good of crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s two-tire call during the final caution of Iowa Corn 350. He crossed the finish line 0.7 seconds ahead of William Byron. It’s worth mentioning here that with this race, Blaney broke the curse of a 17-race winless streak, which was a good start to the season. It was in 2022,  that he did not win any races.

However, Byron said he wasn’t shocked that the driver won with two new tires, considering Blaney’s number 12 Ford is a quality car. It’s worth noting here that Byron himself, along with most of the other drivers, took four new tires. Byron took a pit stop under one of the eight cautions during the race for the refresh. “What a cool way to win here. This place means a lot to me and means a lot to my mom (Lisa, from Chariton, Iowa),” Blaney had said about the race. In the race, Chase Elliott finished third, followed by Christopher Bell.

So, two days ago, when Team Penske shared Ryan Blaney‘s victory lane celebration video on X, it was one of the best feelings for Blaney fans. He shared the video with a hilarious quote, making Christmas merrier for all. But the merry caption had a strict warning. “That one meant a lot to my family and me! 12 fellas ate plenty of corn in Victory Lane that evening. Make it corn liquor next time, and it would be even better. Or worse, I’m not really sure,” he said. Blaney had about 80 family members in the stands that day.

It’s not just winning at Iowa in Cup Series, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck. Ryan Blaney has a much deeper bond with the track. It’s where he grew up. While a majority of his childhood was spent in North Carolina, he visited Iowa during the off-season and during the holidays. It’s where numerous family reunions and holidays have been spent. Speaking about his deep connection, Blaney said, “It’s grandma’s house. Get to see your cousins. My mom has a big family. As you get older, kind of grow apart a little bit as far as cousins go. Move to different states, you don’t go to family events like you did as a kid every year. Nice to see them come together and we could celebrate something.” 

The driver from Team Penske has secured at least one victory in seven of his eight Cup seasons.

Off-season practice instead of Honeymoon

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Blaney did not win the Cup Series this year. However, he is not taking the loss to teammate Joey Logano by a mere 0.33 seconds very well. He is intent on changing it next year and is foregoing his honeymoon for the same. The driver who wed his friend for 4 years and fiance for a year, Gianna Tulio, on 12th December, symbolic of his race car’ number, will not be enjoying the off-season for a change.

“We’re excited to do this and tie the knots, and it gives us something to look forward to. So it’ll be a busy one but we’ll still have a lot of fun with uh with what we’re doing,” he said. “Unfortunately, no, so we’re gonna have to postpone it a little bit, but that’s fine,” nonchalantly dismissing any suggestions that might create a problem for Tulio.

And Tulio, who is a model by profession, also seems to be okay with the move. She has been supportive of his career throughout, often seen in the stands motivating him to do better. In fact, Tulio had said in November after Blaney’s Cup Series Title, “You made history and I’m so honored I was able to be there for you.”

So, if he wants the shot at another NASCAR victory, gearing up for early training sessions and strategy meetings, even in the off-season, might not be a bad idea. This year, the driver made 13 trips to Victory Lane, starting with his first win at Pocono Raceway in 2017 and ending with a win at Martinsville Speedway in November 2024, which marked his second appearance in the Championship 4.

What do you think about Blaney’s chances of listing the Cup in 2025?