“I’m A Freaking Tyrant When I Put The Helmet On,” Says NASCAR Star Ryan Blaney On Netflix Series

Ryan Blaney (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Ryan Blaney is a big fan of NASCAR’s Netflix show, “NASCAR: Full Speed.”

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champ stars in the show alongside several other prominent drivers, including Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, and fellow Team Penske driver Joey Logano. However, Blaney isn’t just a fan because the show is about him and other drivers; he’s also enthusiastic because it gives viewers an intimate, personal look at the faces of NASCAR.

For a sport struggling to gain younger and new viewers, this type of behind-the-scenes exposure is pivotal for NASCAR’s growth. The show’s second season documents the 2024 NASCAR season and Blaney’s quest to repeat as Cup Series champion. He ultimately finished the season in second place to Logano.

“It’s really important to do those things to showcase more info about your sport, no matter what sport it is,” says Blaney in RG interview. “How do you draw people that maybe don’t watch your sport? How do you draw them in? I’ve had a lot of people since that first season say, ‘We watched the Netflix show, and we didn’t really know much about racing, but we really enjoyed the people in it, and this is our first race. I brought my family out because we connected to a driver or a team, and now we want to come see them do their sport.’ That’s what it’s all about.”

Relatability and Connection

Blaney emphasizes the importance of developing a connection and relatability with casual fans. He acknowledges how it can be challenging for fans to gravitate toward NASCAR naturally, unlike sports like football, basketball, or baseball, where you can easily go outside and play.

“It’s about connection and relating to the fan or the person that maybe doesn’t know much about it, or is a huge fan, they just want to learn more about it,” Blaney explains about the purpose of the “Full Speed” show.

“It’s really important to do, and it’s getting to a weird spot now with sports, what more can you do? You can’t just put the product on the weekend anymore. You have to show more and more and more behind the scenes. That’s what people grasp onto.”

At 31, Blaney is a seasoned competitor, currently in his 10th full season in the NASCAR Cup Series. He comes from a prominent racing family; his father, Dave Blaney, competed for 17 years in the Cup Series, while his grandfather, Lou Blaney, was a well-known modified dirt track racer.

Blaney appreciates how the Netflix series shows different sides of his personality. On track, he is fiery and competitive, while off the track he describes himself as “pretty relaxed and pretty reserved.”

“You’re going to be fiery, you’re going to be passionate about what you do,” says Blaney. “But then you take off the helmet, you’re just kind of a normal person. You can have a completely different attitude or mentality. I’m that way. I’m a freaking tyrant when I put the helmet on, but that’s just how I am, and I’m a competitive person.”

He continues: “I want to do well, and this is how I make a living. It’s my job, and so I’m passionate about what I do, but when I’m at home, I’m just pretty relaxed and pretty reserved and pretty quiet. I think that’s neat for people to see kind of that aspect of it.”

Navigating a Grueling Season

Entering the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Blaney is fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Since 2017, he’s never finished lower than 10th in the final standings.

Coming off the All-Star race this past week, Blaney is nearing the halfway point of the regular season and shares insights into maintaining the right mindset through a grueling year.

“Just going through the grind, man — you got to dig your teeth in,” says Blaney. “We race 38 weeks out of the year. We have one off week. We just had it for Easter. And now we’re 28 races to the end straight every weekend. It’s a long year, but that’s what you sign up for. If you want to do it, that’s what you got to be prepared for.”

Blaney admits he wishes there were slightly more off weeks during the season—which runs from February to November—but appreciates the long schedule because it allows for continuous change and improvement.

Blaney currently has 362 points and five top-five finishes, the third-highest mark behind only Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, but he is still chasing his first win this season.

“If you do have a bad week, you got the next one just seven days away that you can make up for it and rebound,” says Blaney. “That’s the cool part about it—you really see a lot of change in the way the year goes and how teams are performing. Who can find what at what time. That’s always a fun part when you have a long year like that—you never know who’s going to be good when it comes down to crunch time.”