Ryan Blaney's wife Gianna urges fans to raise funds for friend's tragic loss on IG

NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney's wife Gianna Tulio recently shared a supportive post for her late friend Melissa Carleen and asked her followers to help raise her family support fund.

Carleen tragically passed away on Saturday, December 28. Gianna is asking for donations to support her friend's family after their tragic loss via an online fund. The GoFundMe link has already raised about 70 percent of the goal with over 14 thousand dollars in donations.

In an Instagram stories post on December 29, she shared pictures of her friend and wrote:

"Rest in peace my sweet angel."

Gianna also lost a close family member, Dominic Tulio, a few days back.

Gianna's Instagram stories. Source: via @giannatulio on Instagram

Ryan Blaney met Gianna in 2018 and the couple got married this month in Aspen. They have been together for years and got engaged during a trip to a mountain resort last December.

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"It is a closed eyes’ only thing" - Ryan Blaney on not sharing the NASCAR champions' journal with wife Gianna

Ryan Blaney and his wife Gianna had a winter wedding with over 200 guests on December 12. The couple, who moved to North Carolina in 2021, chose Hotel Jerome in Colorado for the "Winter Enchantment: A Candlelit Aspen Affair" themed event.

Gianna later revealed that they exchanged their vows in private before the official wedding.

"Ryan really helps calm my nerves. I'm most relaxed in the morning, sipping my coffee with him, so we decided to read our vows privately to one another," Gianna said (via People).

"It was everything I have ever dreamt of as a little girl for a wedding… the most magical night of my life," she added.

Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney passed the NASCAR champions' journal to 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano last month.

The secret book, which was started in 2010 by Jimmie Johnson, is kept very private and Blaney, the 2023 champion, compared it to the President's Book in "National Treasure 2." He also mentioned not letting his wife read it.

"I haven’t shown it even to Gianna because it is a closed eyes’ only thing. It’s like the President’s Book in ‘National Treasure 2’. I kind of relate it to that. I try to put it on that level. So I’m Nick Cage in “National Treasure”. No, it is a cool tradition and I’m excited to hand it off," Blaney said (via sportsnaut.com).

Blaney ended the 2024 season in second place behind Penske teammate Logano. He won three races and finished just three seconds behind Logano at the Cup Series season finale race at Phoenix.