“An entertainment sport for sure”: When Ryan Blaney made his stance clear on NASCAR regarding fan expectations

Ryan Blaney considers NASCAR an entertainment sport, claiming that fans visited the racetrack to be entertained. The 30-year-old's comments came during a 2017 edition of 12 Questions by The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck.

As the name suggests, the 12 Questions are a set of 12 similar questions that Gluck asked different drivers each week. The podcast which started back in 2010, has a different set of questions every year.

Gluck asked if Blaney thought NASCAR drivers were entertainers, to which the then 24-year-old responded by saying:

“Yeah. Oh, for sure. I think any sport, the athletes are entertainers. It’s our job as well, and our goal is to go try and win, but all these sports, they’re entertainment sports. That’s what fans come to the racetrack or a ballgame for: To be entertained and to like watching people do their thing and be amazed at what we can do.”

NASCAR is known to value its viewers. There’s a reason why the officials always aim at giving the fans as many green flag laps as possible in every race of the year. After all, it’s through the views that NASCAR generated an annual revenue of $820 million in 2024.

“I definitely feel like NASCAR is an entertainment sport for sure,” Ryan Blaney added. “(It’s) not strictly an entertainment sport, but fans want to come to the racetrack to be entertained. We’re not gonna put on a soap opera out here, but to some degree, it’s for the fans.”

Blaney currently drives the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse full-time for Team Penske in the Cup Series. He won his first championship title in 2023 and this year; he finished second on points, with three wins, 12 top-5s, and 18 top-10s to his credit. Blaney’s teammate Joey Logano bagged the titular victory this year, his second in the NextGen era.

Back when Ryan Blaney came clean about the ideal fan interaction over dinner

Comedian Whitney Cummings takes a selfie with Ryan Blaney at the drivers meeting before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 10, 2024 - Source: Getty

Ryan Blaney is one of the most well-known athletes behind the garage today. Currently, he has over 270,000 followers on Instagram alone, which speaks volumes about how popular he is. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to see him surrounded by fans demanding autographs.

However, Blaney prefers to be left alone when he’s having a meal. In the previous interview with Jeff Gluck, Blaney said that there had been times when a fan ran into him at a restaurant and approached him for an autograph. Blaney has no issues giving out autographs only if it’s before the meal or after it’s over.

“I will sign anything that you have or take a picture with you or anything if I’m out to eat or something, but either before my food comes or after I’m done,” Blaney explained. “Like if my plate has just gotten sat down and I’m about to go in and you come up wanting an autograph, I’m like, “Come on.” Or if I’m mid-eat, I’ll probably still do it, but I’ll kind of have an attitude while I’m doing it.”

“I’m an aggressive eater, so while I’m actually consuming material, I kind of like to be left alone. But I’ll do anything you want, but it just depends if I’m in a good mood or not while I’m doing it,” he added.

This year, Ryan Blaney is planning on getting married to his longtime girlfriend Gianna Tulio, who works as a model at both national and international levels. The couple got engaged in December 2023 and made the thrilling announcement through a post on Instagram.