Page 71 - 2019_NPPG_digital copy

RYAN BLANEY

Birth Date: December 31, 1993 Hometown: High Point, NC
Team: No. 12 Ford Mustang / Team Penske

It didn’t take Ryan Blaney long to create his own niche during his first
season at Team Penske.

He won the inaugural road course race at the Charlotte Motor
Speedway’s ROVAL last September to join teammates Joey Logano
and Brad Keselowski in the NASCAR Playoffs.

After spending 88 races across three seasons -- including full-time
in 2016-17 -- as driver of the No. 21 Ford fielded by the legendary
Wood Brothers Racing organization, Blaney made the move to Team
Penske in 2018. He helped give car owner Roger Penske seven
combined victories in the Cup series with all three drivers finishing in
the top 10 in points, including a championship for Logano.
5220 3520 2400 The move to Team Penske wasn’t unexpected. Wood Brothers Racing

enjoys an engineering alliance with Team Penske and Blaney’s stay
with the group was scheduled to be brief. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins,
as well as a handful of other key personnel, also made the move to FOLLOW ONLINE
Penske and the No. 12 team.

One of three first-time winners in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup @BLANEY @ryanblaney10
Series in 2017, Blaney scored his first victory in the series at Pocono
Raceway in June. The win not only gave the Wood Brothers’ group its
99th career victory in the series, it also earned Blaney and the team ryanblaney.com
one of 16 positions in the series’ 10-race, championship-determining
playoffs. He wound up ninth after being eliminated from the playoffs
after two rounds. It’s a weird feeling. I’ve never been running third and the two cars
wreck each other and I win the race, so that’s kind of a weird
feeling.
1905 2510 7845R It was the first time Penske fielded three teams since 2010. That “But you try to enjoy it. You try to be as humble as you can
year, the driver lineup consisted of Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Sam
Hornish Jr.
about it because you know you weren’t the best car today, so I
Outside of his abilities on the race track, Blaney will also bring a think being humble is a very big part of it, but at the same time,
bit of youth and enthusiasm to the outfit, although Keselowski (34) celebrate because you’ve got to take them how you can get
and Logano (28) aren’t exactly long in the tooth or social media them.”
wallflowers.
The victory helped Blaney feel at home at one of the most-
Blaney’s 2017 podcast “Glass Case of Emotion” was popular among recognized race teams in the world. Now the son of former
fans, he appeared in the film “Logan Lucky” in the same year and he NASCAR driver Dave Blaney plans to do his part in keeping Team
also voiced the character Ryan “Inside” Laney in the movie Cars 3. Penske out front, especially as Ford moves away from the Fusion
Blaney also appeared in the television series “Taken” in 2018. to the sporty Mustang.

His best performance, however, came at Charlotte. He went from third “Once you get a second full year under your belt … you kind of
to Victory Lane after Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson crashed calm down a little bit,” he said. “You’re a bit more methodical
coming through the final turn for the checkered flag. about things. When you’re younger, you are kind of set on ‘kill’ the
05 SERIES: A utility tractor at 19 hp 10 SERIES: A mid-sized compact tractor 45 SERIES: Branson’s largest tractor whole time. That’s good but sometimes it’s not the best thing.
features a Yanmar diesel engine. It is at 25 hp with a 3-range hydrostatic at 78 hp. This model is available with an It wasn’t the way he wanted to win, but he was happy to take it anyway.
perfect for large landscape jobs as well transmission (HST), this tractor also has enclosed cab with heat and air condition or “I feel like once you kind of understand the sport a little bit better
as work in tight spaces. available a skid-steer bucket for quick as a ROPS model without a cab (above). “You’re happy you won the race,” he said. “You’re happy for the team and how to run 38 weeks out of the year you definitely learn a lot.
Just being a little bit more patient and thinking a lot more about
connections as an attachment option. to do that. But me personally inside, there’s some of me, I’m happy,
I’m like, all right, this is great, we put ourselves in a spot to do this. actually not going out and driving the car as hard as you can.”

Visit our website to find a Branson Tractor dealer in the U. S. & Canada: bransontractor.com THE OFFICIAL NASCAR 2019 PREVIEW & PRESS GUIDE 71

Branson_NASCARad_Oct18.indd 1 10/29/18 10:08 AM