If you’re NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney, you know a thing or two about success. The 30-year-old—who is the son of former NASCAR driver, Dave Blaney—made headlines in 2023 when he took home the winning trophy for the NASCAR Cup Series and this year, is on the move to defend his title.
But with all of the wins he’s accumulated over his lengthy career, there must be rigorous training or a hard-to-escape diet that he’s on to stay successful, right? Well, according to Blaney, all-day energy for him begins with something you probably wouldn’t expect: cereal.
“I’m a big Special K with Red Berries guy,” he told Parade. “I like yogurt—Peach Yoplait is a good one. I also like pancakes, eggs, sausage and stuff like that. But, Special K with Red Berries cereal? That’s an everyday thing.”
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Blaney’s Go-to Workout for Staying in Shape When Racing
While breakfast is the key to keeping the star driver fueled for the day, it’s the necessary training before he gets behind the wheel that keeps him in shape to do great in the sport he loves.
“Our sport, you don’t have to be really big to do it. It’s more kind of heat training and stamina,” he said. “I hate biking, but I do the stationary bike like crazy. I hate running, but I do it. Race cars are usually 30°F hotter in the car than it is outside so, high heat training while you’re already worn out [is the go-to]. So, we’ll do a big workout where we’re super hot and worn out, and then we’ll do some workouts to have you focus on a task that’s kind of compared to racing. So, high heat and high heart rate stuff that you can get back down to help you focus in the moment.”
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The One Thing He Prefers to Have After Each Race
You would think that after gaining notoriety in the racing game, Blaney would be hard to relate to. After all, you don’t win a NASCAR title by just doing mediocre work. But just like many of us, Blaney enjoys doing everyday things to celebrate his wins—both big and small. So, what does that mean exactly? Well, for starters, grabbing an ice-cold brew after hitting the track.
“I’ll tell ya, an ice cold beer tastes really good after races. I like Coors Light. I like Modelo, too. Those two, I’ll do,” Blaney revealed to Parade. Beer isn’t the only thing he’ll indulge in, though. The kid in him enjoys chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, too. “You’re dehydrated and you need sugar, so just trying to get something back in you.”
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The #1 Habit He Swears by To Stay In the Best Mental Health Space When Not Competing
Even when Blaney isn’t competing for a series title, he’s busy honing in on his craft and getting a few laps in so that he’s prepared for the upcoming season. With a high adrenaline day-to-day schedule both during the season and off-season, though, one may consider the sport to have an impact on a driver’s mental health. As Blaney revealed to Parade, however, there’s one big habit that he swears by to keep things in check.
“Don’t stress out over things. That’s the biggest thing,” he said. “And also, I try not to mix work with my home life. I try to have one day of the week where I step away from this and have a personal day with me and my fiancé, and go do our thing. You can go crazy thinking about your job all the time, so I think just less stress and not letting things bother you.”
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