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Ryan Blaney, the driver of the #12 Team Penske claimed the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway earlier this month after finishing runner-up behind Trackhouse Racing Ross Chastain.
The close battle between Blaney and Chastain in the closing laps was one of the highlights of the season finale race. Both the drivers battled neck to neck but it was Chastain’s #1 car who stayed out front.
Blaney loses his calmness and responds by showing the middle finger to Chastain during the race. The incident was caught by his in-car camera.
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In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Ryan Blaney admitted he is ashamed of his behaviour and hates that it was caught on cameras.
Speaking about his gesture during the season-finale race at Phoenix Raceway, Blaney said:
“Am I ashamed of it? Yes. I hate that people caught that. Sometimes I have a short temper and it sort of bursts in the car," he says. "I just got to get it out and then I feel better about it."
On working on his anger, Blaney explains:
“It's just one of those things that I try to get better at. It's hard to do for me. I just care about it so much... it’s something I'm working on, but it's hard to get those things out of you.”
“I'm similar to my father in that aspect” – Ryan Blaney on having similarities with his father
The 2023 NASCAR champion further said that he has a lot of similarities with his father Dave Blaney who was also a former NASCAR driver. He stated that they are very close in terms of personalities as the father-son duo stays calm most of the time but they are fiery about what they do.
Blaney said:
“I'm similar to my father in that aspect. He and I are very close in terms of our personalities. We are pretty quiet guys most of the time, but we're fiery about what we do. When you're passionate about what you love, sometimes that boils over.”
Catch Ryan Blaney and Team Penske in action when the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season kick-off at Daytona International Speedway on February 18.
