"Grateful for this chapter in my life": Ryan Blaney's fiancée Gianna Tulio shares adorable moment after engagement with the defending NASCAR champion

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney's fiancée Gianna Tulio was beaming with happiness after the couple's recent engagement ceremony.

2023 was the year of Ryan Blaney. The Team Penske driver, who had plied his trade for a long time in NASCAR's highest echelon, reached his crowning moment last season. After battling it out with various drivers across the season, the 30-year-old clinched his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in Phoenix.

Shortly after successfully defending Team Penske's crown, the couple went on an off-season trip to Leavenworth, Washington. It was there when Blaney bent down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend of three years, Gianna Tulio, to be his lawfully wedded wife. Tulio said yes, marking a momentous occasion in their lives.

Days ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 race in Bristol, the couple organized an engagement ceremony.

Tulio took to her Instagram stories to share various glimpses of the occasion. Briefly after, the 26-year-old shared a post via Instagram, sharing numerous photos from her big day and expressing gratitude for the engagement.

Tulio wrote in the caption:

"Grateful for this chapter in my life."

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Ryan Blaney secures pole position for Bristol race

After nearly a two-year wait, defending champion Ryan Blaney has clinched the Busch Light Pole in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Piloting the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, Blaney secured his first career pole at Bristol Motor Speedway ahead of the Food City 500 race. This was also the driver's 10th career pole:

Speaking to the media after the race, Blaney told Fox Sports:

"I’m proud of this whole group. Our Ford Mustang was fast all day. We were really good in Round 1, made some adjustments for the second round.

"The track kind of caught everybody by surprise, honestly. The time fall-off, the grip loss behind the wheel was incredible. It was huge. So, it was like who can not mess up a lap and still put a decent time down.

"It was fun working through it. I wish I could even do it over again and make our car go better because I think there was still some more out there."

Sharing the front row with Blaney, Stewart-Haas Racing rookie Josh Berry secured the second position on the circuit. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliott round out the top five for the race in Bristol.