Ryan Blaney, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, recently discussed a fun tradition he follows during the playoffs. He’s been growing a beard in recent weeks for good luck after remaining clean-shaven for most of the season.
Blaney, the driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penskesuffered a setback after crashing at The Glen last week before finishing the first round. He is now eighth in points and must remain in the top 12 at Bristol to advance to the next round.
In an interview with SpeedFreaks on September 19, the 30-year-old explained that growing a playoff beard is a bit of a superstition for him.
“I’ve gotten this far without cutting it this year, so I’m probably going to let it rip. The playoff beard started a week ago, so it’ll come in nicely, and hopefully it brings us the same luck as last year… Once these last 10 weeks start… it’s kind of a superstitious thing,” Blaney said (00:17).
While some former NASCAR drivers like Tim Richmond and Dale Earnhardt have made facial hair a big part of their look, Blaney team owner Roger Penske prefers drivers to be clean-shaven for most of the season.
However, Ryan Blaney claimed that while Penske was previously stricter about driver facial hair, things have recently relaxed.
“Not anymore. I think he’s been laid off a little bit. He’ll let you know though, like it’s a little long, but then you’ll take it as okay, I’m going to shave… I keep it very shaved throughout the year… so I can have a little more leeway when I get to the last 10 weeks,” Blaney said (00:54).
“We just focused on…our speed” – Ryan Blaney on race preparation
In the same interview, Ryan Blaney also talked about how he prepares for races and decides which drivers to watch. He said he doesn’t focus on one specific driver each week, but at road courses like Watkins Glen he pays attention to strong riders like Chase ElliottWilliam Byron and Martin Truex Jr..
He mentioned that during the Phoenix finale last year, he didn’t watch the other drivers much and focused on improving his car.
“I didn’t look at anyone. I was so focused on our deal. I didn’t really look at any data, like the SMT stuff. We just focused on, ‘Hey, our speed is close.’ Alright, so I don’t really want to look at anyone. Let’s focus and talk about areas where we can improve our car, you know? That’s all I wanted to focus on,” Blaney said (05:06).
Ryan Blaney added that his first championship felt overwhelming because it all happened so quickly. He thinks he can enjoy it more next time since he knows what to expect.
Edited by Prathik BR
