"He's someone I always paid attention to" - When Ryan Blaney reflected on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s influence on his NASCAR career

Ryan Blaney once talked about the impact Dale Earnhardt Jr. had on his racing career growing up. In an interview in 2017, Blaney said that while he went to Team Penske, Dale Jr. was someone he looked up to and wanted to drive for.

Blaney is now a 30-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver piloting the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske. The interview was aired after Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement following a two-decade run in the sport.

Per NASCAR's Glass Case Of Emotion podcast, Blaney spoke about Earnhardt Jr.'s influence on his NASCAR journey. He wanted to drive for Dale Jr.'s Xfinity Team, JR Motorsports, but landed a deal with Team Penske.

"He was one of the first guys to talk to me in that deal and that really meant a lot, like I said, someone I really looked up to growing up in the sport, and someone I always paid attention to and always wanted to get to know, and I've gotten lucky to do that," Blaney said. [0:52]

The Ford pilot also believed that Dale Jr. was a good role model to other kids who wanted to drive racecars for a living.

"He definitely means a lot for the sport, not only on the track but things he does away from the track. He's been a huge mentor to young kids who want to try to get into it and he's just a great personality to have," Blaney added.

During the 2017 season, Ryan Blaney scored his first Cup race win at Pocono Raceway. He had one win, 14 top-10s, and four top-fives.

Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. concluded his Cup career with 26 race wins including two Daytona 500 victories. He notably won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award for 15 consecutive Cup seasons, second-most behind Bill Elliott.

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Ryan Blaney once shared with Dale Earnhardt Jr. why NASCAR drivers got tougher

Last year, Ryan Blaney joined Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast and shared his opinion on why NASCAR drivers have gotten tougher. He argued that the introduction of stage racing prompted drivers to stay aggressive throughout the race to earn points.

Per the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Blaney said:

"Now, stages are super important, so if you're coming down to 40 or 30 to go in a stage, you’re not going to let anyone go. You have to go for every point. And I feel like the cars are so close to each other now, it’s hard to make up spots anymore." [4:04]

He added:

"You know, it's hard to let someone go because you don't know if you're ever going to pass them back. So, I think there's some of that going on, that's why the racing is so tough nowadays."

NASCAR introduced stage racing in 2017 in a bid to make on-track action more exciting. The system divides a race into three stages, each offering points to the top finishers. Caution is thrown between the stages to pack the field back together.

When stage racing was introduced, Ryan Blaney was a sophomore driver for Wood Brothers Racing while Earnhardt Jr. ran his final season.