“Proud”: Gianna Tulio reacts to NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney’s incredible comeback in the Atlanta playoff race

Ryan Blaney’s fiancee, Gianna Tulio, expressed how proud she was of the driver’s comeback performance in Atlanta. She applauded her fiancee and Team Penske No. 12 for the unrelenting efforts rewarded with a P3 finish.

Blaney was running in 9th when his Ford Mustang Dark Horse race car had a racing incident with Chris Buescher and Martin Truex Jr. at lap 205, sustaining damage on the left side of the car. After the team repaired the car, the 30-year-old driver went back to the field to finish P3, from P32, gaining 30 positions in 49 laps.

Gianna Tulio, who Ryan Blaney proposed to in December 2023, commended his fiancee on Instagram for the show he put on in Atlanta, saying:

“I’m proud of @ryanblaney10 and the whole 12 team. Talk about fighting until the end and having one hell of a come back.”

In one of the post-race photos Tulio shared, the left door of the No. 12 Mustang can be seen heavily covered with tape.

That was a result of the trailing No. 19 Toyota Camry of Martin Truex Jr. colliding with Blaney’s car. The No. 12 car initially lost control after getting hit by Chris Buescher's No. 17 Ford. According to the NASCAR’s defending Cup Series champion in a post-race interview, he didn’t see Buescher’s car when it got loose before clipping his rear left bumper.

After climbing his way up the field, Blaney found himself behind race leader and teammate Joey Logano on a final overtime restart. He was giving his teammate a shove in the final laps of the race, which resulted in a race win - beating Trackhouse Racing Team’s Daniel Suarez to the checkered flag.

Ryan Blaney also shared how proud he was of his No. 12 team at the Quaker State 400 playoffs opener. The Team Penske driver thanked them for their efforts and congratulated Logano for the win.

“We had a really good day overall. To come back from the incident like we did and to finish third is a testament to the hard work and unity of this 12-team. Proud of everyone at @team_penske and Congratulations to @joeylogano and the 22-team,” Blaney said.

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Ryan Blaney isn’t the only playoff contender troubled in Atlanta

Apart from Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe had a race-ending incident where the two collided at lap 56. Larson lost control and collected Briscoe. Both drivers were out of their cars and were released from the infield care center.

Tyler Reddick also had tough luck after making contact with Carson, however on the pit road. He finished in 6th when the flag fell at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Larson and Briscoe only scored a single point each. The former dropped from a commanding No. 1 seed with 35 points to the No. 10 spot with 15 points. Blaney is sitting in the No. 2 spot with 45 points, with his teammate Logano qualifying for the Round of 12.

The second race of the Round of 16 will be held at Watkins Glen International on September 15.