William Byron’s girlfriend Erin Blaney celebrates rival NASCAR star’s engagement in North Carolina

William Byron's longtime girlfriend Erin Blaney recently celebrated her brother and NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney's engagement to Gianna Tulio. They announced their union in December last year, right after the Team Penske driver became the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Ryan Blaney's sister Erin, who also incidentally dates his fellow Cup Series competitor and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron, congratulated the couple on the special occasion.

Erin took to her Instagram Stories and wrote:

"Celebrating such a special couple."

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The location of Gianna Tulio and Ryan Blaney's engagement was The Hunter House and Gardens in Huntersville, North Carolina, as seen on NTT IndyCar Series driver Scott McLaughlin's significant other Karly Paone's Instagram stories.

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Paone's story consisted of a stunning portrait of the couple in question, Ryan Blaney and Gianna Tulio posing in black and white, along with a stunning backdrop of the venue.

William Byron's thoughts on NASCAR's tire test ahead of 2024 All-Star weekend

Ahead of the 2024 NASCAR All-Star weekend, the governing body and NASCAR's official tire supplier Goodyear conducted a test session at the upcoming venue.

Aiming to decide on an optimum compound to run the newly resurfaced North Wilkesboro Speedway, drivers such as William Byron and Joey Logano were seen running laps around the historic track.

Here is William Byron's thought of the session (via hendrickmotorsports.com):

"I thought we made some improvements in the middle of the day and made a lot of progress through the afternoon. It was probably one of our best test days of progress and getting to a spot where I feel like we were a lot better than where we started. Hopefully, that continues for us on the short tracks."

He further added to how he felt from behind the wheel of his car:

"It just feels very on edge to start, especially if you get out of the groove for sure and if you slip a tire. As we started laying rubber down, all of that stuff got a little bit better. A lot of grip. Even more grip than some of the other repaves that I have been to."

NASCAR prepares to go racing this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, with the return of the spring race on the original concrete surface of the track. The 2024 Food City 500 goes live this Sunday at 3:30 pm ET.