NEWS | Coca-Cola 600 winner Ryan @Blaney visits Arlington National Cemetery to lay wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

FULL STORY : https://t.co/sZLylpZmt9 pic.twitter.com/SbLAsTPtdU

— Charlotte Motor Speedway (@CLTMotorSpdwy) May 2, 2024

Blaney joined Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith, Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Greg Walter and North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson in laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, continuing an annual tradition for the defending Coke 600 race winner to kick off Military Appreciation Month.

Ryan Blaney Talks About Experience

After his visit to the national cemetery was complete, the Team Penske X account shared a video of the 30-year-old driver talking about his moving experience.

A recap of @Blaney’s day at @ArlingtonNatl. pic.twitter.com/DuzG9f9lLy

— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) May 1, 2024

“We just finished up our day at the Arlington National Cemetery and what an unbelievable experience,” he said. “Very, very humbling for sure, to be able to witness the changing of the guard, to be part of the wreath ceremony was absolutely incredible. Appreciate everybody out here for letting us come visit. Appreciate Charlotte Motor Speedway for tagging along with me out here. Looking forward to getting back to the 600 on this Memorial Day weekend, and really honoring the men and women who have served and who have given their lives. Unbelievable day.”

The post Ryan Blaney Participates in Somber Ceremony in Washington D.C. appeared first on Beating and Banging.

“I think it’s part of your job [as champion] to embrace it, push the sport,” Blaney said. “You have this awesome platform now to where you’ve done something incredible, use that, promote … you’re not only growing yourself, you are growing the sport of NASCAR as well.”

He’s made appearances on The Today Show and various other programs. Earlier this month at Bristol during media availability, he was asked about his role as the champion and being marketed as a superstar.

“They asked me in the offseason, like, ‘What do you want to be?’ I said, ‘I want to be Jeff Gordon of the nineties.’ He was everywhere. He was Jeff Gordon of the nineties, right? And it’s led him to where he is today and just notoriety. That’s the goal. I think that’s where everybody wants to be. We’ll see who can achieve it.”

Could Ryan Blaney Be Appearing on Saturday Night Live?

Blaney specifically mentioned being like Jeff Gordon. Gordon appeared on Saturday Night Live in 2003.

Before the March 24 race at Circuit of the Americas, I asked the 30-year-old driver if he wanted to host the popular weekend show in New York City, which has been hosted by other athletes, including Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Derek Jeter, and, if so, how does he make it happen.

“We’ve talked about it,” Blaney admitted. “It’s a big commitment. It’s a big commitment. You got to be there all week. I’ve always said if it interferes with racing, I’m not doing it. Racing is the obvious No. 1 goal. But it’s something that I’d like to do. I would really enjoy it.

“I grew up watching Saturday Night Live and I really enjoyed it. And I remember watching Jeff on it. It was a rerun but I remember watching Jeff on it. But yeah, I think that’s great those opportunities are golden to grow the sport and grow yourself and your team and things like that. So, yeah, it’s been talked about. It’s just how do we do it.”

I don’t know how they do it but I sure hope that they somehow find a way to make it happen.

The post Could Ryan Blaney Be Appearing on Saturday Night Live? appeared first on Beating and Banging.

The 30-year-old started the season with a 30th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, but his final result, as is often the case at the superspeedway, didn’t tell the whole story. He was involved in that massive crash with under 10 laps to go that ended an otherwise good day. Before that incident, the Team Penske driver led 12 laps, including Lap 130, the Stage 2 break for his first stage win of the season.

Taking another look at the three-wide finish between Daniel Suárez, Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney at Atlanta:

(Chills) pic.twitter.com/JmAJyNUUNK

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 26, 2024

While the casual NASCAR fan might see the Daytona box score and assume the defending champ had a bad day, in the three other races in 2024, Blaney’s left no doubt on the quality of his performances. In those three events at Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, he’s been consistent from start to finish, his lowest stage finish, 12th in Stage 1 at Atlanta. What’s more impressive is in each race, he’s steadily moved up in each stage.

He moved from 12th to third in Stage 2 at Atlanta before slotting second in behind Daniel Suarez in that incredible three-wide photo finish. A week later at Las Vegas, he went from 11th in the first stage to fourth in Stage 2, before recording a third-place finish. And in Phoenix, where he captured the title just four months ago, the Penske pilot started 16th, moved up to 7th to conclude Stage 1, sixth to close out the second stage, and gained another position in that final stage, earning a hard-fought fifth place.

Ryan Blaney on Blazing Hot 10-Race Stretch

Ryan Blaney has raced like a champion to start the 2024 season, consistently moving his way forward throughout the race and finding himself in the contention conversation when the checkered flag flies. But for those diehard Blaney fans who nerd out and dive into the stats on their favorite driver, his performance to open the 2024 campaign is nothing new. It’s just an extension of how he wrapped up 2023 and the road to his first Cup Series title.

It all goes back to that October 1 race at Talladega. After a pair of rough 22nd and 28th-place finishes at Bristol and Texas, respectively, Blaney won in a photo finish of his own over Kevin Harvick on the superspeedway and took that momentum with him through the rest of the postseason. The following week he finished 12th on the Charlotte Roval. No one could have known that would be his worst finish for the rest of 2023.

How good has @Blaney been in his last 10 races? Damn good like @torchystacos. There's no such thing as a championship hangover for the No. 12 Team Penske team. pic.twitter.com/jcZlOxtMSG

— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) March 12, 2024

The No. 12 team followed it up with a sixth at Vegas, before ending the season with a pair of runner-ups at Homestead and the championship race in Phoenix, sandwiched around his first career win at Martinsville. For those counting, that’s five top 10s in the season’s final six races, with four of them top-fives, including a pair of wins.

What a Difference a Year Makes for Ryan Blaney

What’s incredible to think about is how it was just a year ago that Kyle Petty appeared on the “NASCAR on NBC” podcast and didn’t sugarcoat what he thought about Ryan Blaney.

“I look at the Fords, and I look at Penske, and I look at Joey and Ryan Blaney,” Petty said. “For me — I’m going, to be honest, man — Ryan Blaney is the new Kasey Kahne. Potential unfulfilled. Everybody wants to talk about what he can do, but he never does anything for whatever reason. For whatever reason, he just never gets past that hump.”

He sailed past that hump in Phoenix back in November en route to claiming his first Cup Series title. On Sunday, he made another pass through the desert and based on that result and his start to the 2024 campaign, he’s a favorite to make a return trip to the Championship 4 later in the year and makes what Petty said a year ago sound even more ridiculous.

The post Ryan Blaney and His Last 10 Races Are a Long Way From Kyle Petty’s Bashing a Year Ago appeared first on Beating and Banging.