RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse
HOW MUCH OF THE IN-SEASON CHALLENGE IS A FOCAL POINT AT THE BEGINNING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WIN RACES MORE THAN JUST ONE DRIVER?
“Yeah, if you win the race, you beat the other driver. That’s how I’ve looked at it, but I’ve enjoyed it. Last year, when they started it, I got knocked out in the first round, so I really wasn’t a part of it for more than one week, so going through the rounds this year, I’d see who I line up against that week on Sunday night or Monday – see who you’re against if you advanced in the bracket and I’m like, ‘OK, that’s awesome.’ And then that’s really the last I think about it through the week and really, truly, through the race. Like at North Wilkesboro, I didn’t really pay attention to where the 20 was. I asked after the race if we beat the 20 car because I didn’t really know where he finished and they told me we did and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s awesome. We’re moving on and have a shot at a million bucks.’ I look at it through the week and then I wouldn’t say through the race I’m focusing on that guy. Now maybe if it comes down to the end of the race and you’re both running next to each other, then you’re gonna have that on top of your mind for sure, especially in this finale, but I think it’s a great thing what they’re doing. I hope people enjoy it. It’s something that’s different because in motorsports you don’t really ever get a head-to-head match. It’s 40 cars going against each other and this is a cool little March Madness bracket system that’s just another thing for fans to look for and for drivers and teams to go try to win it.”
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT INDIANAPOLIS?
“Everything plays a factor in it. I feel like strategy at Indianapolis is always a huge key to it and it’s gonna start – qualifying is a big part of how you kind of base your strategy, so Saturday is a super important day to try to qualify up towards the front and then you can really base your strategy off that. If you’re midpack, then your strategy is based off of that. ‘Hey, how can we kind of play this to try to get more track position on pit road or through strategy?’ Or, can we drive our way up through there, so a lot of it is determined on how your week is going, how you qualify, start of the race, so everything really comes into play here, but I think one of the biggest things we look at going to Indianapolis is in turn three there’s a pretty large bump that’s just past the center of that corner and it’s a lot of, ‘Hey, how do you get over that bump?’ That’s a super fast part of the racetrack, so those are some of the main focal points that we try to pay attention to going into the weekend.”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TODD GILLILAND STORY? HE TALKED ABOUT YOU AND A GOLF CART INCIDENT.
“Honestly, that’s probably my favorite too. Ford does a great team-building event once or twice a year and a couple years ago we did it at Pursell Farms in Alabama before Talladega, so all of the Ford drivers were out there. We have a half-day together and then have dinner together and spend the night, and then spend breakfast together and then we depart. There’s a lot of activities that Ford like to do, just to kind of create a bond, whether it’s between the drivers, people at Ford, Ford Racing, just to get to know each other and try to make us a family. So, there was a handful of us that commandeered a golf cart and toured beautiful Pursell Farms one evening. There were some liquid courage builders that I think a lot of us indulged in and we were on a golf cart. We were having a fun time, and I might have ended up off the golf cart by the end of this ride through no fault of anybody’s, but that was a fun story. I remember I was messing with Todd that whole night. We were driving through the woods on this golf cart and I kept telling him that there were people in the trees and someone is coming to get us. I was freaking him out – like there were people living in the trees and stuff like that and he was scared. But those Ford team building events are a lot of fun. They help us get to know each other a good bit if you don’t really get to hang out with the rest of the people and that was a fun time. I got to learn a lot about Todd and he’s a good guy. Obviously, he comes from a great family with David being his dad. My dad and David raced together for a long time, so there are some good memories there.”
THIS CHALLENGE HAS BROUGHT TWO THIRD-GENERATION DRIVERS TOGETHER FOR THE FINAL. DO YOU FEEL THIS IS LIKE A HATFIELD-MCCOY DEAL WITH RIVAL FAMILIES?
“I don’t think so. I don’t think my dad and David ever hated each other. I don’t think there’s any rivalry there. I don’t think they had any run-ins that I can think about. I’m sure there were a couple times, but that happens to everybody. It’s neat. Like I said, Todd comes from a racing family a lot like myself and we got to grow up around the racetrack. We’re very fortunate that we got to do what our family did and what our fathers did. I can’t really speak for Todd, but myself, I was just amazed at what racing and NASCAR was about when I was younger. I got to see a lot of ins-and-outs of the sport, just being around my dad. What does the race shop operate like? The people that are involved in putting their hands on the race car before it gets on the racetrack. You have a huge appreciation for that, and I’m sure Todd was the same way and we’re both very lucky to do what our fathers did and have really good careers. No, I don’t think there’s a rivalry there that has stemmed down like a Hatfield-McCoy situation. It’s just two kids trying to win their teams a bunch of money.”
SOME WOULD CALL THIS DAVID VS. GOLIATH. HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT?
“If they’re making it a David vs. Goliath story, that’s not good news for me. I recall that David won that battle, but, no, I’ve heard that. Indianapolis, a lot of things can happen. That group runs really well. Front Row, they do a really good job. They have good drivers. Todd is a great driver and they have a really good team over there, so it’s gonna be tough. I don’t think people should write anything off. I’m not going into this weekend thinking that it’s going to be a layup because it’s not. It’s gonna be incredibly difficult and we have to be on top of our game to try to not only compete for the win, but also race that 34 car too. I don’t think that’s accurate what people are saying. I think it’s gonna be just as tough as ever no matter who you’re facing because you’re not gonna be able to have any mistakes. You better be fast on the racetrack. You better be good on pit road and your strategy better be where it should be. I think it’s gonna be a heck of a battle, for sure.”
THERE WILL BE A NEW RIGHT SIDE TIRE COMBINATION FOR THIS WEEKEND. HOW DO YOU EXPECT THAT TO IMPACT THE RACE?
“It’s always about trying to get fall off. The big talk is if you abuse your stuff are you going to pay a penalty for it? That’s what racing is all about and that’s how racing should be, and I think Goodyear has done a really good job of working incredibly hard on not only trying to work on the short track tire, but also the intermediates and bigger places like that of just trying to find something that falls off and you can really pay the penalty for something if you abuse it. So, I’m looking forward to seeing what that is. It’s nice that we have the extended practice this weekend, getting a few sets of tires on Friday and be able to make some longer runs to see where that goes and get a feel for that. I hope it lays a bunch of rubber down. If you lay a bunch of rubber down, usually you’re gonna be able to abuse your stuff. It just means rubber is coming off of the tire, so I hope that direction that Goodyear is working is gonna make that kind of an impact, so we’ll find out.”
DO YOU EXPECT THE TIRE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS FAR AS AFFECTING FUEL MILEAGE?
“I think you’re gonna get a really good idea after Friday. ‘Hey, where is the fall off? How long does it take to hit your cliff?’ And I think that will affect the strategy side. If you fall off a second-and–a-half in 10 laps, then that’s gonna affect your strategy. You’re gonna have teams that do you really have to contemplate is it worth staying out or doing two. I feel like we kind of have a set strategy piece through the week that Jonathan and I talk about, and then we alter it after the practice session and make our final decisions. I think you do about 50 percent of it during the week and then the last 50 you do after practice, just seeing where that pace is.”
HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS WHERE YOU GUYS STAND AS A UNIT HEADING INTO THIS STRETCH OF THE SEASON?
“I feel pretty decent about it. Anyone is gonna sit here and tell you they feel pretty good about it, but I feel like we’ve done a really good job this year of finding speed in places where we needed to find it, and then managing races to where we maybe have not had the best speed, but we’ve gotten better all night. The last two weeks in our building has been really great. It was nice to kind of have a huge win at Atlanta for us and then an absolute dominating win by the 22 group at North Wilkesboro. I mean, that was an absolute butt-whipping that they put on the field, so I think the momentum is high. I’m really excited to get to Indy. That’s been a place to where we had a good shot to win that thing in ‘24. Joey and Austin had a really good shot to win that thing last year, so I’m excited to see where our speed is at there, and then the rest of the regular season – the final month – we’ve got some really good short tracks in there for us and then the speedway where we’ve been strong. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can get and then making a run at the championship. It’s gonna be really tough. There are some great teams out there, but we’ve just got to keep plugging away. I commend Team Penske for hanging in there and always trying to get better. That’s really just the name of the game, and I feel like we’ve done a really good job of hopefully getting to where we need to be. Only time will tell, but no matter what happens, we’re gonna keep working super hard.”
CAN YOU TAKE ME THROUGH YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ROGER AND WHAT HE’S MEANT TO YOU AND HOW THAT HAS EVOLVED?
“I owe Roger everything. I was super lucky to be able to walk in the doors over there in the summer of 2012 and here we are 14 years later. I couldn’t ask for a better place to be at and couldn’t ask to work with better people, the people that Roger incorporates not only in his race teams, but in his business side as well. They’re incredible people and I’ve been really lucky to be able to learn from those folks and just get to know them on a personal level and a professional level. Roger is a rare breed. I don’t think they make many people like Roger Penske anymore, just the drive that he has for as long as he’s been doing it is unmatched. What he’s done for motorsports, whether it’s NASCAR, Indy Car, Sports Car, it’s been amazing how many things he’s been into and just been incredibly successful. He’s been an incredible figure for me, not only to learn on the professional side, but personal life too. I try to take things that Roger does that I think would kind of make you grow as a human being as well of just his demeanor about everything and just somebody that is so easy to talk to for me. I can pick up the phone and call him whenever I need to and he answers, and I could talk to him about anything and he always gives me advice or things like that. So, I’ve been really, really lucky. I’ve been super fortunate to be able to work for him for a long time and call him a friend. Like I said, I owe him a lot. I owe him my whole career to be honest with you. He took a chance on an 18-year-old kid and here we are now. I’m just trying to be successful for him. That’s really my main goal is winning for Roger, winning championships for Roger. That’s the only thing that you can get him. He has everything else in life, but he just wants to be successful on the track, so we strive tirelessly to give that to him because he’s given us so much.”
YOUR 400TH CAREER CUP START IS THIS WEEKEND. WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT YOUR STAYING POWER AND DOES THAT NUMBER OF RACES JUST FLY BY?
“It does fly by. I had no idea it was 400 this weekend. It’s incredibly hard to believe. It kind of goes back to my previous answer – none of this happens without Roger Penske, his group, the Wood Brothers – those folks have really given me the opportunity that I can only dream of. I would never have dreamt that I would make it to 400 starts. You just try to continue to take one start at a time, but it does fly by. It does not feel like 400, so I’ve been really lucky to have a great ride for those 400 starts and hopefully I can make it 400 more, for sure. Growing up around the sport, watching my dad do it, I just wanted to do what my dad did. I was in love with the sport. As a kid, I was just in awe of race car drivers and race cars. I just wanted to do that and I’ve been really lucky in my life to get those opportunities and get amazing opportunities to be fairly successful in that sport that I love. Does anyone know how many starts my dad had? (THE ANSWER IS 473) That’s gonna be a really big eye-opener for me if and when I pass my dad in career starts. That’s gonna be like, ‘Oh, man.’ I would never have thought that, but it’s been a fun 400 and, like I said, I hope to make it 400 more.”
IS THIS A RACE YOU HAVE CIRCLED ON THE CALENDAR?
“Oh, it’s definitely circled on the calendar. Everybody that works at Team Penske just knows that this weekend is really special. We don’t talk about it because it’s known that whenever you go to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, even before Roger owned the track, it was a very special place just his history from there on the Indy Car side. It is what got him into motorsports when his dad took him there all those years ago. It’s what made him who he is, so that place is really special to him and especially now, like I said, that he owns the speedway and has done a lot for that speedway. We understand the importance of this weekend. Everybody in that building does, so it’s an unspoken thing. A dream of mine has always been to be able to kiss the bricks with Roger. I don’t think there’s anything that could top being able to do that and share that moment with him. That would be a memory that would be stamped in my mind until the day that I die if I got to share that experience with Roger on the frontstretch. That is the goal. That is one of the things I want most in life is to share that with him and hopefully we can achieve it.”
DO YOU CONSIDER THE BRICKYARD A MAJOR RACE IN NASCAR?
“I definitely would classify it as that. To me, NASCAR – and this is just my personal thing – people talk about three crown jewel races and in my mind there are five. The Daytona 500, Southern 500, Coke 600, Indianapolis and the Bristol Night Race. Those are my five majors I guess you could call them in my mind, so it’s definitely in that category.”
IOWA IS COMING UP IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET AROUND THERE AND WIN?
“I’ve really enjoyed going to Iowa. I think that place is incredibly deserving of a Cup event. It puts on a really good race. I was fortunate to win there a couple years ago and we had a really good run there last year. That place is pretty difficult because the front and backstretch are the old pavement and then the corners are fresh pavement, but your braking and entry turn-in point is on the old pavement, so trying to get that secure enough and good enough over the bumps, especially into turn one, is super critical, and then very smooth corners is how do you kind of balance that out? We’ve just been able to have a really good package there that I feel like I’ve been able to do both. I’ve been able to enter fast over the bumps with speed and then that benefits me when I get to the fresher, smoother asphalt. So, it would be nice to get back in Victory Lane there. I have a lot of family ties in that area in Iowa, so it would be nice to do that like we did a couple of years ago, but it’s all about connecting the entry phase of the old track to the new racetrack in the corners.”
