When William Byron began attending the Blaney family occasions in 2019, it was not to meet his Cup rival. Instead, he began dating Erin, the beloved sister of reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. Team Penske’s Blaney naturally had a soft spot for his Hendrick Motorsports rival. However, this fuzzy dynamic seemed on the brink of change yesterday at Darlington Raceway.

The Lady in Black bared her teeth a few times when smoking wrecks unfolded mid-race. Ryan Blaney got caught in one of them 39 laps into Stage 2. Incidentally, William Byron caused it, as he caused a three-wide line while pushing Martin Truex Jr into Blaney. The damage elicited a few colorful remarks from a raging Blaney. However, post-race, he softened his stance towards his only brother-in-law.

Ryan Blaney tones down anger toward HMS rival

Blaney has time and again fixed up a rendezvous with mid-race wrecks. But this year, William Byron has emerged a few times in these situations. For instance, during the Daytona 500 qualifying race, a few cars bunched up and shoved Byron into Blaney with a 55-G impact. The damage was so great that the latter had to fall back on a backup car.

The Darlington ordeal had Ryan Blaney fuming over on the radio. Referring to Truex and Byron, he said: “I’m gonna go kill both those mother f***ers is what I’m gonna do.” Fans were so shocked at his take that they set afloat a rumor about how this marked Byron’s exit from the Blaney family fold.

However, Ryan Blaney then spoke about the situation in a post-race interview. Initially, Blaney intended to pay back Byron on the pit road, but stopped soon, as he explained: “Why didn’t I hit him? I’m not going to hit him, I’ll save that for another time.” Further elaborating on his emotions, Ryan even admitted that his reaction was far-fetched.

“Actually, I cut on the apron and then the link was busted…I almost actually hit him when I didn’t mean, I just wanted to show my displeasure. So we’ll see where it goes. I just wanted to show I wasn’t happy,” Blaney noted. Ryan Blaney’s retrograde from his previous flaming emotions over the radio is justifiable. Last year, when both brothers-in-law were eligible for the playoffs, Blaney tipped his hat to Byron out of respect.

Blaney holds emotions for his familial rival

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In late 2023, both Ryan Blaney and William Byron were among the four drivers eligible to grab the championship trophy. The press were curious whether Erin Blaney would don clothing, saluting both Penske and Hendrick. However, William Byron confirmed she wouldn’t, remarking that Erin would instead cheer for both of them.

This echoed Ryan Blaney’s acknowledgment of Byron as both, a good rival and family member. Sharing his narrative, Blaney mentioned, “I feel like people make more of a deal of it than it actually is. He and I have a good relationship. We respect the hell out of each other.” 

On the other hand, Byron also claimed that the two would get over any conflict. “We’ve had little run-ins here and there, honestly, and we got through it and came out better for it,” he affirmed. Hence, Ryan Blaney’s Darlington outburst may not be enough to break their familial bond.