In 2025, Ryan Blaney continues to hold his own as a championship-caliber driver, piloting the #12 Team Penske Ford Mustang. After a rough patch, he sprinted to Victory Lane at Nashville Superspeedway in June. Yet the high-pressure moments haven’t been without drama, with the most recent one being a cooling suit failure at Pocono that left him collapsing post-race, sparking renewed discussions on driver safety in extreme conditions. With eight Top-10 finishes thus far and ranked 7th in the Cup Series, Blaney remains focused and consistent, even as fellow Penske drivers capitalize on similar Ford advantages. But along with his on-track endeavors, his off-track life is taking on a heartwarming chapter as well.
Blaney and his wife Gianna Tulio recently shared that they are expecting their first child in late 2025, debuting the news in a black-and-white Instagram post captioned, “Been keeping a secret for far too long but finally ready to share. Baby Blaney coming 2025!” The announcement lit up the NASCAR world, with fellow drivers like Bubba Wallace and NASCAR’s official account sending out congratulations, while fans reacted with genuine excitement. Gianna has also been a steadfast presence at the track and in the media, often sharing insights into their journey with admiration from fans and other NASCAR partners, only this time sharing the story of where it all began.
The sweet origin story behind the Blaneys
In a recent episode of the podcast ‘Believe in the Good with Haley Dillon,’ Gianna made a charming recollection of the sweetest part of their love story, and how they met with a little help from Chase Elliott. Gianna, “Actually, the year that I won, Ryan was there with a few of his friends, and all my closest friends were there, which was nice,” Gianna narrated. “So Ryan and I met kind of through the Hooters world. So it was actually Vegas. He was there for the Vegas race, 2017 maybe. I was there for Hooters modeling.”
The couple’s story began well before Gianna was crowned Miss Hooters International in 2021, back when she first started working at the restaurant chain in 2017. Hooters became a primary sponsor for Chase Elliott that same year, featuring their branding on the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy during events like the Talladega and Phoenix races, marking a revival of their long-standing presence in NASCAR. “It was my first time ever being on a NASCAR race,” Gianna recollected in the podcast. “I had no idea what NASCAR even was or anything, nothing about it. And we obviously sponsored Chase at the time. Chase was our driver. So we got to meet Chase all in that. And me and a few of the other girls met up with Chase and Ryan at this bar called The Losers at the MGM.”
It was during this sponsorship period that Gianna, then a Hooters model, was invited to NASCAR events tied to Hooters promotions that also brought her into the orbit of NASCAR drivers, eventually leading to a memorable night at the MGM bar “The Losers” where she had her first encounter with Blaney. “Ryan and I started off like really good friends. We just hit it off. It was an easy conversation,” said Gianna. “I was actually with someone else at the time. I was dating someone else. So I wasn’t even into the boys at all. I was just like one of the girls that night or one of the boys that night, and we had such a good night… I got home a few months later.”
“Me and the relationship, I was in didn’t work out, and I want to say Ryan reached out to me once a month for a year and a half just asking to take me on a date or ‘I’ll be in town for the Miami race,’ or if I wanted to come to one of the races. And I was just so focused on my career at the time, and I was younger that I was like, ‘no, thanks.’” Gianna continued. Blaney reached out to her for dates over the next 18 months while she was focused on her modelling career, but things clicked only during the 2019 Homestead Miami Cup Series race, when she popped by his bus for a three-hour catch-up session.
“It was the Miami-Homestead race 2019 right before COVID happened, and I was bartending it, and he was like, ‘just come hang out at the bus for a little bit’” Gianna recalled. “‘We can talk. I just haven’t seen you in forever.’ He’s like, why not? We’ve been friends for a while. I’ll come, and I went on the bus and we talked for maybe three hours, and then I drove home.” That year, Ryan Blaney finished a solid 11th at the 2019 Ford EcoBoost 400 at Miami-Homestead Speedway, starting from 7th place, capping off a season where he never cracked the Top 10 there despite several strong runs.
“And when COVID happened, that’s when I reached out to him,” said Gianna. “Okay, I think we’re both in the right headspace to maybe try and make this work. Because before, I was too young. I was in the middle of modeling, and I didn’t want to make long-distance work with an athlete. Because that was kind of intimidating. You hear all these bad things about athletes, and I’m like, ‘I don’t want anything to do with that.’ I live in Florida. You’re there. But honestly, COVID came and stayed with me for a weekend. And we’ve never separated since.”
It wasn’t until the early days of COVID that their relationship bloomed as they realized that they were both ready to explore their connection. She credits that spontaneous, low-pressure friendship and time spent together on race weekends for evolving into the committed bond they shared. As Blaney now continues to navigate the highs and lows of the 2025 season, including impressive finishes and challenges on track, the couple’s shared journey from their unexpected meeting to the arrival of Baby Blaney adds a heartwarming chapter to an already inspiring story. Together, they are not just racing towards victories but also preparing for the most rewarding race of all, that is, parenthood.
Gianna opens up about Ryan Blaney’s struggles with the Next-Gen car
Gianna Tulio’s rallying cry, “And remember, be Ryan f—– Blaney,” during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship echoed through the sport, as she cheered on her husband’s triumph. But behind the powerful words was a deep anxiety, especially regarding the dangers tied to NASCAR’s Next-Gen car. The introduction of the Next-Gen car in 2022, which was designed to promote greater parity among teams and enhance superspeedway racing, has also led to a surge in horrifying crashes, some leaving drivers injured.
“These new cars too, the Next-Gen cars. I think everyone is more nervous about these cars. Especially how a lot of the wrecks have looked, the flipping, especially last year… I don’t think we’re going anywhere great with that… It’s scary,” said Gianna in a recent interview. As much as the car’s design aims to improve safety and competition, it hasn’t been without flaws. The violent crashes during the 2022 and 2024 seasons, including Kurt Busch’s career-altering concussion and flips involving drivers like Corey LaJoie, have weighed heavily on the minds of families like Gianna’s.
“I sit and have anxiety…You know how hard it is for them to win just one race. I can only imagine what he’s thinking when he’s close to winning a race. I’m over here freaking out,” Gianna admitted. These moments have only intensified her fears, with incidents like Blaney’s DNF at Atlanta due to an Austin Dillon collision highlighting the unpredictable risks. “Like you’ve finished safely, that’s more important at the end of the day. You’re not like, injured, hurt, in an ambulance, a helicopter, or whatever,” Ginna said. As Ryan prepares for fatherhood, these concerns have only grown, making their journey not just about racing, but about ensuring their future as a family.
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