“That was neat” - Ryan Blaney enjoyed having fiancée Gianna Tulio’s family in attendance at Pocono after second win of the season

Ryan Blaney winning at Pocono on Sunday (July 14) was special for the Penske driver for two main reasons. It was his second win of the year and was a win which was witnessed by his fiancee Gianna Tulio's family.

Blaney's longtime partner was not present for his win at Iowa, which notably came in front of several of his family members. But by winning at Pocono in front of Tulio's family, Blaney added another facet to the memory of the 12th win of his Cup career.

When asked in a post-race press conference, whether this was the first time Tulio's family witnessed him winning a race, Ryan Blaney said [29:50]:

"Yeah, her dad was here, a couple of her nephews and aunts and uncles. There were about eight of them today. That was neat to share that with them. It’s always cool to have family with you at your races. Gianna wasn’t with me at Iowa. I had a lot of other family at Iowa.

"Been fortunate having a lot of family with me when I’ve been able to win. That just makes it special. A couple of them, it was their first time to a race in general. It was their first time to Victory Lane. That’s the coolest experience ever."

Blaney claimed winning in front of his future family is "easy brownie points", and it's great to share such experiences and memories with them.

In 2020, Ryan Blaney and Gianna Tulio made their relationship official by posting a picture of them on Instagram.

And late last year, after three years of dating, the couple announced they were engaged.

Ryan Blaney is gaining steam earlier this season than last year

During the 2023 season, Ryan Blaney scored his first win at the Coke 600 in May. However, he had to wait for many months for his second win of the season, which came at Talladega in October.

Part of the final 4, Blaney ultimately ended up with a third win which came at Martinsville, one race before he won the Cup championship.

But the story for Blaney this season is shaping up to be different. He spoke about it after Pocono:

“I definitely think we’re in a better spot at this time than where we were last year. I feel like our speed’s better. Our execution’s great," he said, as per Associated Press.

Although Ryan Blaney's first win of the season came a little later than last year with Iowa in June, his second win hasn't taken that long. Blaney had to wait from May to October for his second win in 2023.

But this season, he has won his second race less than a month after his first.

Moreover, Ryan Blaney has had four finishes so far this season inside the top 5 this year compared to three from last year.