Ryan Blaney empathizes with “bipolar” or “split personality” drivers, says he himself is a “completely different person" behind the wheel

Ryan Blaney has mentioned that all drivers are bipolar or have split personalities. During a conversation about his efforts to raise funds for Alzheimer's disease, the Team Penske driver shed light on being a different personality soon after he gets behind his Ford.

The 2023 Cup Series champion incorporated the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation to aid people suffering from Alzheimer's or concussion. After the demise of his father Dave Blaney due to a severe concussion which became fatal later and grandfather Lou Blaney due to Alzheimer's disease, Ryan and his family founded the organization in 2018 to fund Alzheimer's research and attain better treatment.

While conversing with Today, Blaney unveiled that the real number of patients suffering from Alzheimer's, head concussions or dementia is way more than he ever imagined and was shocked to learn about it.

Further, the Ohio native outlined how NASCAR progressed in the past decade and has made safety a prime among its many considerations.

Nearly all NASCAR drivers can be said to have two different personas, according to Blaney - one when they're on the racetrack, fierce and aggressive; the other when they're cool and composed, probably enjoying with their families and cherishing their off-track moments.

Ahead of the Pocono race, Ryan Blaney highlighted this notion while he gave his take in his interview:

"I feel a lot of drivers and athletes, we're all bipolar or split personalities or something because when you are in job mode, [you're] in competitive mode. I'm a completely different person behind the wheel, I don't know why," the #12 Ford Mustang driver said. [03:49]

Motorsports racing runs in Ryan Blaney's blood. His father was a NASCAR driver and his grandfather a legendary modified dirt-track racer.

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Ryan Blaney set up his foundation due to his "personal connection" with Alzheimer's disease

Ryan Blaney has been into motorsports from his childhood. He currently drives with the other NASCAR Cup Series contenders as the 2024 season approaches the Playoffs.

After losing his father and grandfather who introduced him to the sport, soon after stepping into the Cup Series, the Team Penske driver felt a yearning to do something beneficial for people at large. He went on to establish the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation to further his cause. Blaney explains (via Forbes):

“We wanted to do something that we had a personal connection with. My grandfather died of Alzheimer’s, passed away at a fairly young age.”

Blaney said his grandfather, Lou “started showing signs of it in his early 60s.”

"Living through that - it’s a rough disease to see someone go through. So (we decided,) 'let’s focus our efforts there.' It’s also a frustrating disease because nobody really knows a whole lot about it," he added.

Since the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation's incorporation, the #12 driver and the organization have paired with the Alzheimer's Association to educate the public through several innovative ad campaigns about early disease detection.