Ryan Blaney adds late NASCAR driver Tim Richmond’s vintage sprint car helmet to his collection 

Ryan Blaney, the Team Penske driver, recently secured himself a piece of history with the iconic driver, Tim Richmond’s helmet. The helmet contained interesting facts about the late driver, making it a unique piece in his collection.

Tim Richmond, the NASCAR legend, started racing with sprint cars at the age of 21 before transitioning to IndyCar and later moving to NASCAR. The Ohio native’s most successful season in the Cup Series was when he finished the race at pole in 7 races and third in the final driver standings in 1987. His career was tragically cut short due to him contracting HIV, later leading to AIDS, a disease that ultimately led to his passing at the age of 34.

Richmond’s helmet was a show of his personality, and Ryan Blaney added the storied helmet of the young driver who tragically lost his life to AIDS. His helmet bore his medical history and medical information, pointing to an eerie reality that high-speed track racing can have dangerous implications. It included information like Richmond’s date of birth, allergy information, and details of the last tetanus shot.

Ryan Blaney tweeted a picture of the helmet with a throwback picture of Tim Richmond.

"Newest piece to the helmet collection!" Blaney wrote.

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion is in his 10th season as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver. Blaney has been consistent this season, with a seventh-place finish at Daytona and fourth place at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He is ranked fourth in the Cup Series standing with 136 points after his less-than-impressive performance at COTA and the unfortunate engine failure that led to a DNF in the latest Phoenix race.

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Ryan Blaney opened up on a hilarious wrestling ring video from Mexico

Ryan Blaney, along with fellow NASCAR stars Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell, recently visited Mexico for promotional activities related to the upcoming Cup Series race in Mexico in June 2025, marking NASCAR's return to international racing. During the visit, the drivers attended a wrestling match, where Blaney humorously failed in a wrestling ring stunt, getting hilariously taken out by the ring ropes. He said via Frontstretch:

"I was a big wrestling fan as a kid, WWE mainly. But it was just one of those things they had us do and they were gracious to us, let us go to the ring afterwards. And I made myself look bad getting decked by the ropes. But it was neat. That was part of the thing, not only to see the track but to see the area. They had us do some fun stuff. It was a lot of fun." [4:10]

Blaney discussed his experience in Mexico, noting that he had a great time exploring Mexico City and observing the excitement of the local fans for the upcoming NASCAR race.