Ryan Blaney’s Daytona Charge Draws Earnhardt Comparisons — But He Refuses the Label
Ryan Blaney’s Daytona Charge Draws Earnhardt Comparisons — But He Refuses the Label
Ryan Blaney doesn’t want to hear it — but after his stunning victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, many in the NASCAR world couldn’t help but draw parallels between his drive and one of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s most iconic wins.
The 2023 Cup Series champion surged from 13th to 1st in the final two laps on Saturday night, a move that immediately reminded longtime fans of Earnhardt’s legendary 2000 Talladega comeback, when the Intimidator charged from 18th to victory in just five laps.
When asked directly if he felt like Earnhardt, Blaney shut the question down with a firm “no.” Over and over again, he refused to accept the comparison.
A Reluctant Star
Blaney now owns three wins at Talladega and a points win at Daytona, cementing his place as one of the sport’s best modern superspeedway racers. But if you ask him, he’s still just “doing a decent job.”
“I just try to be patient,” Blaney said. “It’s easy to get impatient at Daytona or Talladega, thinking you have to take a run right now. Sometimes you just have to let it play out. Tonight, we waited for the right moment.”
He credits veterans like Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski for teaching him the craft. “I soaked up a lot of information from them. Over time, I got more comfortable and experienced in it.”
Praised as ‘Special’
While Blaney downplays his talent, his peers and bosses see things differently. Team Penske president Michael Nelson called him “special” at superspeedway racing.
“Think about how many races this year where he’s right there at the end, challenging for the win,” Nelson said. “When it matters most, he’s always in the mix.”
Still, Blaney insists it’s not just him: “I can’t do it by myself. You’ve got to wait for the opportunity. If it comes, you take it. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
Gut Instinct and Opportunity
That opportunity came Saturday when Blaney and Cole Custer caught a huge run down the frontstretch just as the bottom lane stalled.
“You don’t have time to think about it,” Blaney explained. “It’s a bang-bang play. You go with your gut. Luckily, we were on the same page and carried all the momentum.”
The move sealed the win, though Blaney remains reluctant to bask in the comparisons to greatness.
The Earnhardt Shadow
Blaney admits he’s made “a lot of bad moves too” and tries to avoid causing wrecks more than anything else. But with his growing resume, fans and insiders see him as one of the best superspeedway drivers of this generation.
Still, he isn’t ready to be called “Earnhardt-ian.” He laughed off the suggestion but made it clear: he doesn’t want the crown.
“I appreciate the question… thanks for making me laugh,” he said.
Whether Blaney likes it or not, NASCAR fans saw echoes of the Intimidator in Daytona on Saturday night — and that’s not a comparison that fades easily.
