Hollywood heartthrob Sydney Sweeney thanks Ryan Blaney for showing what she's “missing out on”

American actress Sydney Sweeney took on the challenge of driving a NASCAR car with Ryan Blaney. Sweeney thanked Blaney for showing what she was “missing out on” as she drove around Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Sweeney is a 27-year-old American actress known for her roles in shows like Euphoria and The White Lotus. She recently stepped out of Hollywood and drove on a speedway with Ryan Blaney and NASCAR Racing Experience, an organization that allows fans to drive a real NASCAR race car.

In an Instagram post, the actress shared her experience driving a NASCAR car. She also thanked the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion for guiding her with the experience.

“This is awesome!” Sweeney wrote.

She added:

“Thank you @ryanblaney10 for showing me what I’ve been missing out on!”

While Sydney Sweeney recently got into Ryan Blaney’s world, the No. 12 Team Penske driver also has some experience in the acting scene. Blaney played roles in TV series such as Taken and Magnum, P.I.. He also voiced No. 21 Ryan ‘Inside’ Laney in Cars 3 along with Chase Elliott, who voiced Chase Racelott.

Ryan Blaney drives the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske - (Source: Imagn)

Sweeney drove on the first Sunday of the off-season following the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. The drivers will return to the field for the Daytona 500 season opener in February 2025. Blaney will still run the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske along with now-defending champ and teammate Joey Logano.

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Ryan Blaney defended Team Penske from criticism

As mentioned, Joey Logano is the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion, although many fans are critical of his achievement. Ryan Blaney came to Team Penske’s defense, saying that the team kept delivering by winning championships amid doubts and hateful remarks.

In a post-race interview at Phoenix, Blaney shared how the team prepares while fans doubt them, especially during the playoffs. He said:

“We go through it every year… ’22, ’23, and this year we sit around and, beginning of the year and in the summer a little bit and come into playoff time, all of our employees have to sit around and listen to people saying that we suck and we don’t deserve to be here and why are they in the playoffs and all that ****… and we’ve won the last three championships.”

The 30-year-old driver concluded by saying:

“So this team does a great job of rising to doubters.”

Teammate Joey Logano was criticized for winning the championship despite not being the top driver stats-wise. Fans usually bring up Kyle Larson in the argument, saying the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver won the most races at six and led the most laps at 1,700, but still missed the final four.

Joey Logano is the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion (Source: Imagn)

Regardless, Blaney maintains that the team's performance speaks for itself, citing their recent three consecutive championships in the premier series, including his own title win in 2023. Logano's latest championship marked his third, making him the 10th driver to achieve this feat.