Ryan Blaney reveals his score at Masters venue Augusta

NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney talked about his golfing ahead of the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. He revealed his best score at Augusta National Golf Club and plans to attend the Masters Tournament practice rounds this week.

The 89th edition of the Masters Tournament is scheduled at Augusta National Golf Club from April 10 to 13, coinciding with NASCAR's race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. However, the practice rounds will be on weekdays, which shouldn't affect Blaney's racing schedule.

In a pre-race interview (via Jeff Gluck on X), the No. 12 Ford Mustang driver said he has played Augusta six times and scored an 85, which is generally considered above average.

"Random fact of the day: @Blaney (Ryan Blaney) says he’s played Augusta six times and once shot an 85 there (not from the pro tees, but still…!). He’s going to the Masters practice rounds again this week," Gluck wrote.

The practice rounds will allow Ryan Blaney to roam around Augusta National Golf Club and use a camera for photography. However, cameras and other electronic devices will be prohibited starting Thursday in the tournament rounds.

Before visiting the golf course, Blaney will race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. The 31-year-old driver qualified for the ninth starting position alongside Michael McDowell in row five.

As part of the Darlington Throwback Weekend, the Ohio native will feature a tribute paint scheme for Dave Blaney's 2006 Hass Avocado Xfinity Series car. It was the only NASCAR car his father drove to victory.

Blaney comes off a good race weekend at Martinsville Speedway, where he finished 11th after starting 32nd. That race also witnessed the Team Penske driver break a three-week streak of consecutive DNFs (Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Homestead-Miami).

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"It is a tough place": Ryan Blaney on racing at Darlington

Deemed "Too Tough to Tame", Ryan Blaney considers Darlington Raceway one of the most mentally challenging tracks on the calendar. He argued that Darlington is similar to Homestead, where drivers get close to the wall, except the 1.366-mile, South Carolina-based track is narrower.

In a report by Racer.com, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion said:

"It is a tough place. I think it’s one of the toughest places we go, more mentally than anything for me. How do you stay in it for that long? I feel like the mental mush that your brain is in after leaving that race is pretty high, because your concentration level is at 110 percent the whole time. [...] I feel like every lap (at Darlington) is just a battle to try to find speed and not find the fence."

The #12 Ford pilot added:

"I relate it to Homestead in a way, but Homestead is a lot wider. You have more room for error unless you’re pinned on the fence, but Darlington, it just sneaks up at you more."

Ryan Blaney driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang at Darlington Raceway - Source: Imagn

Despite settling with three DNFs in seven races, Blaney remains in the top 10 in the points standings. He is fourth in the most laps led category with 148, behind Denny Hamlin (298) and Team Penske teammates Joey Logano (260) and Austin Cindric (159).