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BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 13: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Sylvania Ford, waits backstage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 13, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Ryan Blaney has a known reputation for being a nice guy on, and off, the track in the NASCAR Cup Series. As the driver of the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske and 11 other Playoff eligible drivers head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend, he’s trying to maintain that image.

However, as the Round of 12 begins, the 2023 NCS Champion will be pushed – literally at times – by his fellow competitors to possibly race differently.

Ryan Was Raised Right

“There’s always this discussion about it’s been brought up specifically about me like, ‘Hey, do you think guys take advantage of you because you race a certain way and maybe they feel like they can take more of an advantage of you,’” Blaney said, via a NASCAR Media Call. “And I don’t know. My dad taught me at a young age when I was getting going that you give respect and you hope to get it back.

“I’ve tried to be really respectful, no matter what it is – when I was a rookie – and as I’ve been in it for awhile, I try to be respectful and it’s just not in my nature to be the rough guy. That’s just not how I was raised. That’s not how my dad taught me to race. It’s not how the guys I grew up racing late models around raced. We all respected one another.

“Yeah, if you just kind of get racing hard with somebody, well then you put that in your brain and maybe you run them harder. I’m not one that’s going to go out and intentionally turn someone around or things like that.

“I think the biggest statement you can make is, ‘I’m just going to beat you clean, and I’m never going to tough you.’ That’s a bigger statement.”

Dave Blaney, Ryan’s dad, made 473 NCS starts, was the 1984 USAC Silver Crown Champion, 1995 World of Outlaws Champion and 2014 inductee into the National Sprint Cup Hall of Fame.

Looking to Loudon for a Good Round of 12 Start

Blaney hasn’t won at the Loudon, NH track in 12 previous starts. His stats show only two top five and four top 10 finishes. In his last three outings in the Granite State, he has finishes of 18th, 22nd and a 25th last year.

However, this season the team has rock solid momentum in its favor coming into NHIS. Through the last nine races, the No 12 Team Penske group has finishes of 10th or better in eight events with five of those being in the top 10. That includes a win at Daytona International Speedway.

Despite the past NHIS stats, Blaney likes what he and the team have going on right now.

“I feel like our group just keeps getting better and better every year,” he said. “I pretty much have the same guys I’ve had from that championship year and just that camaraderie and working together year after year, week after week. Everyone gets closer and just build that bond and I’ve been really happy with how they’ve been performing.”

“I feel like New Hampshire has been one of those tracks where we have run well and just not really finished where we deserved. I felt really good there last year.  We were running second during the rain and got turned around there on one of the last restarts.

“The first part of it is trying to have a car that runs up towards the front. I am happy that New Hampshire has gotten a playoff race. But I think navigating the turn No. 3 bump is always pretty big. Hopefully, we can get the finish that I feel like we deserve there and just try to stay out of trouble.”

Tim Packman Tim Packman is a journalist for Heavy.com covering NASCAR. He grew up around the short tracks of Western New York watching his dad, stepdad and step brother race. His uncle was the head starter at many area tracks and member of the FOAR Score Hall of Fame.

Tim’s passion for racing took him to the announcer’s tower and writing program stories for multiple tracks in the area, namely Lancaster National Speedway. In 2000, he moved to Mooresville, NC to become an award-winning journalist for NASCAR.com. He took a job with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as the team’s Communications Director and was part of two Daytona 500 wins and two NASCAR Championships.

The announcing experience led to becoming a Pit Reporter and News Director for MRN Radio. A return to the team side at Richard Childress Racing as the Director of Corporate Communications took place, which also included another Championship.

From 2015 to 2018, Tim returned to where his career began in 1994 – Lancaster National Speedway & Dragway – as the Track President. He earned Short Track Promoter of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.

Upon returning to NC, he joined The Garage Shop as Communications Director and host of it’s Podcast and MAV-TV docuseries “Legacy of Speed” talking about Land Speed Racing at Bonneville, and other places.

Tim has hosted two other Podcasts, namely “Pub Table Racers,” and wrote three books. One was with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison titled, “Bobby Allison, a Racer’s Racer” and two Children’s books, “Funny Dan the Race Car Man” and “Petey the Pace Car.”

He also served in the US Navy. More about Tim Packman

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