Ryan Blaney Reveals His Contract Extension & Opens Up on Fatherhood

This week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. catches up with a driver who has firmly established himself as one of the top drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, 2023 Champion Ryan Blaney. Ryan enters the studio with major news: he is signing a long-term extension with Penske Racing. He explains what his time with the team and legendary owner Roger Penske has meant to his career and how he can’t imagine himself anywhere else in racing. While Ryan currently finds himself fourth in season points, his year hasn’t been without turbulence. The guys chat about Ryan’s pit road mishap at Texas and his ongoing issues throughout the early events of the year. Ryan explains that he’s confident in the team’s speed; they just need to put all the pieces together.

Dale and Ryan share admiration for the new NASCAR points standings, which harkens back to previous favorite times in the sport. Ryan applauds the fact that race wins mean so much more under this format, and it’s no longer about being “welcomed to the Playoffs”. The guys look ahead to Watkins Glen, bond over fatherhood, ponder superspeedway packages and farm animals.

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Cold Open
00:00:24 - Intro
00:01:19 - Ryan's Contract Extension
00:01:57 - Why Staying at Penske Was a No-Brainer
00:02:54 - What Ryan Owes Roger Penske
00:03:16 - Roger Penske & Rick Hendrick: Another Breed
00:08:41 - Penske's Struggles & Pit Road Problems
00:09:14 - Ryan's Pit Road Brain Fart
00:11:39 - Penske's Championship Hopes
00:13:40 - Why Ryan Loves the New Points Format
00:15:19 - Texas Race Recap
00:21:16 - Penske's Mile-and-a-Half Problem
00:24:22 - Watkins Glen Will Have... Tire Packs
00:29:07 - Does Ryan Have Input on Pit Crew Changes?
00:31:10 - How to Fix Superspeedway Racing
00:44:11 - Joys & Struggles of Fatherhood
00:47:46 - Dave Blaney Becomes a Grandpa
00:52:47 - The Farm: Llamas, Goats & Five Donkeys
00:59:36 - Carson Hocevar at the Met Gala
01:03:04 - Racing Against Hocevar
01:05:37 - Dale's Closing Thoughts on Ryan

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