History of Ryan Blaney in Timeline

Ryan Blaney is a prominent American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, showcasing his talent behind the wheel of the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske. Blaney is known for his skill and competitive drive within the sport.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

December 31, 1993: Ryan Blaney's Birth

On December 31, 1993, Ryan Michael Blaney was born. He is an American professional stock car racing driver currently competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Others born on this day/year

1994: Wood Brothers Racing's Last High Points Finish

In 1994, Morgan Shepherd achieved a sixth-place finish in the final Cup standings, marking the highest points finish for a Wood Brothers Racing driver until Ryan Blaney's success.

2009: Competed in Pro All Stars Series

In 2009, at the age of fifteen, Ryan Blaney began competing in the Pro All Stars Series (PASS)-sanctioned South Super Late Model Series, finishing second in points and winning the series' Rookie of the Year award. He also finished third in the PASS national points.

2009: Competed in Pro All Star Series Late Model Division

In 2009, at the age of fifteen, Ryan Blaney competed in the Pro All Star Series late model division, finishing second in the final points standings and winning the series' Rookie of the Year award.

2010: First Career Win in PASS South Super Late Model Series

In 2010, Ryan Blaney scored his first career win in the PASS South Super Late Model Series at Dillon Motor Speedway, adding wins at Greenville-Pickens Speedway and Newport Speedway. He also won the Champion Racing Association (CRA)-sanctioned Southern Six Pack series championship for 2010.

2011: NASCAR Career Begins

In 2011, Ryan Blaney began his NASCAR career, driving in select few races in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series for Tommy Baldwin Racing and Penske Racing.

2011: Debut in ARCA, K&N Pro Series, and First NASCAR Win

In 2011, Ryan Blaney debuted in the ARCA Racing Series and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East, scoring top ten finishes in every start. He won his first career NASCAR race in the K&N Pro Series West season finale at Phoenix International Raceway.

2011: PASS South Super Late Model Series Champion

In 2011, Ryan Blaney won two races in the PASS South Super Late Model Series, at Dillon Motor Speedway and Ace Speedway, winning the series championship.

July 2012: Signed with Team Penske

In July 2012, Ryan Blaney signed a contract to drive for Team Penske in a minimum of three races in the 2012 Nationwide Series season.

September 15, 2012: First Truck Series Win and Youngest Winner

On September 15, 2012, Ryan Blaney won his first career Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway, becoming the youngest winner in Truck Series history at the time.

2012: Drove in NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series

In 2012, Ryan Blaney continued to drive in select races in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series for Tommy Baldwin Racing and Penske Racing.

2012: Returned to K&N Pro Series East

In 2012, Ryan Blaney returned to the K&N Pro Series East, running six races for family-owned DB Racing, driving the No. 10 car.

2012: Returned to PASS Super Late Model Series

In 2012, Ryan Blaney returned to the PASS Super Late Model Series in the Carswell Motorsports No. 98 car.

2012: Switch to Truck Series Points

In August 2012, Ryan Blaney switched from Nationwide to Truck Series points at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

2013: Full Truck Series Schedule and First Nationwide Series Win

In 2013, Ryan Blaney competed in a full Camping World Truck Series schedule and also won his first career Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway on September 21, leading 96 laps.

2013: First Full-Time NASCAR Season

In 2013, Ryan Blaney had his first full-time NASCAR season in the Truck Series, driving for Brad Keselowski Racing. He finished 6th in points and won the Rookie of the Year Award.

January 2014: Expanded Schedule with Team Penske

In January 2014, Ryan Blaney announced that he would run fifteen Nationwide Series and two Sprint Cup Series races for Team Penske, in addition to a full Camping World Truck Series schedule.

January 2014: Announced Two Sprint Cup Starts with Team Penske

In January 2014, it was announced that Team Penske was going to re-open a third car, the No. 12, for Ryan Blaney to make two starts in during the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

May 2014: Close Finish at Dover

In late May 2014 at Dover, Ryan Blaney finished second to Kyle Busch by a very close margin. After the race, Blaney was among those who suggested Cup Series drivers should not race in lower series.

August 2014: Nationwide Win at Bristol and Truck Win at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park

In August 2014, Ryan Blaney won his second career Nationwide race at Bristol Motor Speedway and also won a Truck race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, edging German Quiroga in a photo-finish.

August 2014: Announcement to Run 20 Sprint Cup Races for Wood Brothers Racing

In August 2014, it was announced that Ryan Blaney was to run twenty Sprint Cup Series races for Wood Brothers Racing in the No. 21 Ford during the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

2014: Runner-Up in Truck Series and Cup Series Debut

In 2014, Ryan Blaney finished second in the final point standings in the Truck Series, narrowly losing the title. He also made his Cup Series debut in a few select races for Penske.

2015: Sprint Cup Series Season with Wood Brothers Racing

In 2015, Ryan Blaney performed well in the Sprint Cup Series with Wood Brothers Racing, picking up his first Top 10 at Talladega, finishing fourth. He ended the year with fifteen starts in total.

2015: Xfinity and Sprint Cup Series

In 2015, Ryan Blaney ran in the Xfinity Series, nearly winning at Indianapolis and winning at Iowa and Kentucky. He also got his second top-ten of his career in the Sprint Cup at Kansas, finishing seventh.

2015: Signed with Wood Brothers Racing

In 2015, Ryan Blaney signed with Wood Brothers Racing, driving a limited schedule in the No. 21 car.

2016: First Full-Time Cup Series Schedule

From 2016, Ryan Blaney began driving his first full-time Cup Series schedule with Wood Brothers Racing.

2016: Full-Time Cup Series Debut with Wood Brothers

In 2016, Ryan Blaney began competing full-time in the Cup Series with the Wood Brothers. He finished sixth at Las Vegas and had several other top-ten finishes. He finished fourth at Chicagoland after gambling on staying out, and contended for Rookie of the Year, ultimately losing to Chase Elliott.

June 2017: Fox NASCAR Cup Driver-Only Broadcast Team Member

In June 2017, Ryan Blaney became a member of Fox NASCAR's Cup driver-only broadcast team for the Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway, working as a pit reporter. He also interviewed race-winner Brad Keselowski, and the next day he won his first Cup race with Keselowski interviewing him.

2017: First Cup Series Win and Playoff Berth

In 2017, Ryan Blaney captured his first career Cup Series win at Pocono Raceway and finished ninth in the final point standings, qualifying for the playoffs.

2017: Launch of Glass Case of Emotion Podcast

In 2017, Ryan Blaney launched a NASCAR-supported podcast named the Glass Case of Emotion, featuring Kim Coon and Chuck Bush.

2017: Voice Role in Cars 3 and Cameo in Logan Lucky

In 2017, Ryan Blaney voiced the character Ryan "Inside" Laney in the Pixar film Cars 3. He also had a cameo appearance as a delivery boy in the film Logan Lucky in 2017.

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2017: Charter Secured and Strong Performances

In 2017, the No. 21 Wood Brothers team secured a charter, guaranteeing Blaney a spot in every race. He placed second at the Daytona 500 and had a strong showing at Texas Motor Speedway, leading 148 laps.

April 20, 2018: Guest Star in TV Show Taken

On April 20, 2018, Ryan Blaney guest-starred in the TV show Taken, specifically in season 2 episode 12 "Imperium", playing the role of Special Agent Nathan Wood.

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2018: Joined Team Penske Full-Time

In 2018, Ryan Blaney joined Team Penske full-time, driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

2018: Returns to Pit Reporting Duties

In 2018, Ryan Blaney returned to his pit reporting duties for the driver-only broadcast format for the Xfinity race at Talladega Superspeedway.

2018: First Cup Race Win

In June 2018, Ryan Blaney won his first career Cup race at the Axalta presents the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway. He then announced he would move to Team Penske's No. 12 car for the 2018 season.

2019: Talladega Fall Race Win

In 2019, Ryan Blaney had a consistent performance within the top ten in points. During the fall race at Talladega in 2019, Blaney secured a win in a photo finish, beating Ryan Newman by 0.007 seconds. This victory allowed him to advance into the Round of 8, despite an earlier spin. He was later eliminated in the Round of 8 after finishing third at Phoenix.

2019: Cameo in The Crew

In 2019, Ryan Blaney made a cameo appearance as himself in Netflix's television series The Crew, alongside Austin Dillon and Cole Custer.

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2020: Daytona 500 Incident and GEICO 500 Win

In 2020, during the final lap of the Daytona 500, Ryan Blaney's push on Ryan Newman resulted in a severe crash for Newman. Blaney finished second to Denny Hamlin in what was the second-closest finish in Daytona 500 history. This incident took a mental toll on him. Later in 2020, Blaney won the GEICO 500, defeating Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 0.007 seconds, marking his second photo-finish win at Talladega.

2021: Wins at Atlanta, Michigan, and Daytona

In 2021, Ryan Blaney achieved wins at Atlanta and Michigan, marking his fifth and sixth career wins in the series, respectively. The Atlanta win was especially emotional for Blaney, as it echoed his father's near-win at the same race twenty years prior. He continued his success with a win at Daytona International Speedway. Entering the 2021 Cup playoffs as the second-seeded driver, Blaney made it to the Round of 8 before being eliminated after Martinsville, ultimately finishing the season seventh in points.

2021: Cover Star for NASCAR 21: Ignition

In 2021, Ryan Blaney was featured as one of three drivers on the cover of the NASCAR 21: Ignition video game. He also appeared on the NASCAR 25 cover, and helped curate the soundtrack for the game.

2021: Commentator in Driver-Only Broadcast

Since 2021, Ryan Blaney has served as a commentator in the booth for the driver-only broadcast, as well as a rotating driver analyst in the booth for regular Xfinity and ARCA Menard Series broadcasts.

2022: NASCAR All-Star Race Win and Playoff Berth

In 2022, Ryan Blaney started the season with a fourth-place finish at the Daytona 500. Despite not securing any regular season wins, he achieved consistent results, including four top-five and six top-ten finishes. He won the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race. Blaney clinched the final playoff spot, beating Martin Truex Jr. by three points. He was eliminated after the Round of 8 following a third-place finish at Martinsville, and ultimately finished the season eighth in the points standings.

2022: Featured Driver in Race for the Championship

In 2022, Ryan Blaney was a featured driver in the USA Network series Race for the Championship, which followed the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

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2022: 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race Winner

In 2022, Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR All-Star Race.

2023: Coca-Cola 600 Win and Points Lead

In 2023, Ryan Blaney began the season with an eighth-place finish at the Daytona 500. He achieved a second-place finish at Phoenix. Later, he served as Joey Logano's spotter for the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol. Ryan Blaney broke his 59-race winless streak by winning the 2023 Coca-Cola 600, leading the most laps and winning a stage. A sixth-place finish at Gateway put Blaney on top of the points standings in 2023.

2023: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship

In 2023, Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series championship and also secured a crown jewel victory in the Coca-Cola 600.

2023: Documentary Series

In 2023, a netflix documentary followed the NASCAR cup series playoffs. Ryan Blaney was a featured driver.

2023: End of Glass Case of Emotion Podcast

In 2023, the Glass Case of Emotion podcast ended.

2024: Finished Second in Cup Series Standings

In 2024, Ryan Blaney finished second in the final point standings in the Cup Series, narrowly missing back-to-back titles, losing to his Penske racing teammate Joey Logano.

2024: Inaugural Iowa Race Win and Championship 4 Appearance

In 2024, Ryan Blaney started the season with a 30th-place finish at the Daytona 500. He came close to victory at Atlanta, finishing second by 0.003 seconds. He experienced disappointment at Gateway after running out of fuel on the last lap. He achieved his first win of the season at the inaugural Iowa race on June 16, 2024, and followed it up with a win at Pocono. In the playoffs, he secured a spot in the Championship 4 for the second consecutive year. Blaney ultimately finished the season as runner-up for the Championship.

2024: Featured in NASCAR: Full Speed

In 2024, Ryan Blaney was featured in the Netflix documentary series NASCAR: Full Speed, which followed the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

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2025: Wins at Nashville, Daytona, and New Hampshire

In 2025, Ryan Blaney started the season with a seventh-place finish at the Daytona 500. He secured his first win of the season at Nashville, and ended the regular season with a win at the Daytona summer race. During the playoffs, he won at New Hampshire. Although he was eliminated at the conclusion of the Round of 8, Ryan Blaney ended the season with a victory at Phoenix and finished sixth in the points standings in 2025.

2026: Win at Phoenix

In 2026, Ryan Blaney started the season with a 27th-place DNF at Daytona. He scored his first win of the season three weeks later at Phoenix. Blaney would later win the pole at Bristol in 2026.