“The force is strong with you”: Fans react as Star Wars megafan Ryan Blaney poses with Daisy Ridley at ESPYs

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney made an appearance at the 32nd running of the ESPYs in Hollywood, California. During the event, Blaney met Daisy Ridley, known for starring as 'Rey' in the Star Wars Trilogy: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Blaney posted a picture with the 32-year-old actress and soon fans reacted to it on social media.

Ryan Blaney was presenting the ESPY award for Best Record-Breaking Performance alongside Olympics gold medalist and skier Lindsey Vonn and Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen to Caitlin Clark, a 22-year basketball player playing for Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association. When Blaney met Ridley, the Star Wars fan in him couldn't help but get a picture with her.

Blaney captioned the picture:

"I met a Jedi again."

Several fans reacted to the picture with one quoting the phrase, "The force is strong with you"; which is a famous phrase used in Star Wars by Jedi Masters such as Obi-wan Kenobi.

"The force is strong with you," said the fan.

Another fan posted a picture of Kyle Larson, who is currently at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, and said:

"And get ready to meet Darth Vader on Sunday…"

Here are a few other comments on Blaney's picture with Daisy Ridley:

"I LOVE THIS SO MUCH OMG," a fan said.

"Yoooo! My 2 favorite famous people 🔥," said another.

"Bro you already got Gianna, leave some for the rest of us fr," joked a fan.

"And she met a NASCAR champion this time 😎," wrote another fan.

After his fanboy moment with Daisy Ridley on Thursday, Ryan Blaney will hit the track on Sunday, 14 July for the 21st race of the season. The 160-lap event at Pocono Raceway can be watched live on the USA Network and NBC Sports, while audio commentary will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Blaney will enter the race 7th in both point standings and the playoff picture.

"It came more from the outside"- Ryan Blaney on media pressure

Ryan Blaney hails from a family of racers. His father, Dave Blaney, has been a driver who made 473 starts in 17 years of driving in NASCAR. Ryan's grandfather, Lou Blaney, used to be a modified dirt track racer and the co-owner of Sharon Speedway. Therefore, growing up, he was no stranger to the pressure to excel as a racecar driver.

However, Blaney has said that he did not feel pressured by either his dad or his granddad. For him, it was people outside his family, including the media, that built up the pressure. Reflecting on the same, the Ford pilot said in an interview with FOX NEWS,

"My dad never pressured me to do anything. If I wanted to do something else, he would’ve been totally supportive of that too. But it just worked out to where I enjoyed doing it. I had his full support. He taught me a lot of things I know. "

"I try not to think of it as pressure, but it came more from the outside. The media and the other people watching, they have high expectations of you. It was hard to block that out, especially when you’re 18 years old, trying to put your name out there and trying to get a solid job," Blaney explained.

Happily for him, Blaney has come to enjoy the job that many expected him to take up, as the son of a former NASCAR driver. Blaney also mentioned that it was his dad who had always kept him away from the pressure as a teenager and reminded him to love whatever he did.