Ryan Blaney is known for his lightning-fast reflexes and cool head behind the wheel. But off the track? He’s just as entertaining. Whether he’s rocking a retro mustache, sharing movie recommendations, or dropping hilarious one-liners in interviews, Blaney brings a laid-back charm that fans can’t get enough of. He’s the kind of guy who can talk racing one minute and geek out about pop culture the next.
And if there’s one thing Blaney loves almost as much as NASCAR, it’s a good story. Especially if it involves dinosaurs, blockbuster movies, or a trip to the museum. Recently, he let fans in on a lighter side of his personality, sharing a childhood fascination that’s as relatable as it is surprising.
Ryan Blaney reveals his favorite dinosaurs and Jurassic Park fears
Ryan Blaney isn’t just a NASCAR star, he’s also a big dinosaur fan. In a recent chat on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Blaney dove into his childhood love for Jurassic Park and his favorite prehistoric creatures. “I loved Jurassic Park growing up, and the movies absolutely terrified me. I think it scared every little kid,” he admitted, laughing about the thrill and fear those classic films brought.
Blaney’s imagination runs wild when it comes to picking which dinosaur he’d want to be. “I think being a Velociraptor would be kind of fun, or like I don’t know the scientific name for it. But the long neck ones. What are those called? They got like Giraffe neck on steroids. I can’t remember what they’re called. But they could eat like the top of the trees. I was like, ‘That’s kinda cool.’”
Of course, those “long neck” giants are Brachiosaurus, famous for their towering size and gentle nature. Who could forget the awe-inspiring moment in the original 1993 Jurassic Park when Dr. Grant and the kids first see a Brachiosaurus munching leaves high above the ground? That scene made everyone want a closer look at those gentle giants.
Blaney also threw Stegosaurus into the mix. “Or like a Stegosaurus, kinda be a slow animal that eats all the time,” he joked. In the Jurassic Park film series, the Stegosaurus made a memorable appearance in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), the sequel directed by Steven Spielberg. Unlike the first film, which didn’t feature the Stegosaurus, the sequel included it by popular demand, after thousands of kids wrote letters asking for it.
Recently, Blaney got to live out some of his dinosaur dreams at the Field Museum in Chicago. “I got to be at the museum in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. The Field Museum. One of the most put-together T-Rex is in there, which was kind of neat to see,” Blaney explained. He’s talking about “Sue,” the world-famous T-Rex skeleton. Sue is one of the largest, most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever discovered, measuring over 40 feet long and standing about 13 feet tall at the hips.
However, the T-Rex doesn’t quite make the cut on Ryan Blaney’s personal dinosaur list. While he acknowledges the T-Rex’s legendary power and presence, Blaney can’t get past the tiny arms. “I would choose T-Rex, but the arms. The arms, they get me,” he joked.
Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney’s Jurassic Park racing dream
This isn’t the first time Ryan Blaney has let his imagination run wild with dinosaurs. Back in 2017, on the Glass Case of Emotion podcast, Blaney and fellow NASCAR star Chase Elliott dove into a side-splitting conversation about racing prehistoric beasts. And what if it went wrong, as things do in the Jurassic Park movies? The idea of a NASCAR grid featuring dinosaurs had everyone, including co-host Kim Coon, in stitches.
Blaney, never one to shy away from a wild hypothetical, joked, “I don’t think T-Rexes can race because what are they going to do if they lose their balance? They can’t catch themselves… I think it’s hilarious.” Instead, Blaney let his imagination run wild and wished to see two T-Rexes race each other. His vivid description had fans picturing a Jurassic drag race, complete with toppling T-Rexes and the nightmare fuel of a dino with human arms.
Oct 29, 2023; Martinsville, Virginia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
However, when pointed out that the T-Rex, in fact, ran slower at just five miles per hour, Chase Elliott couldn’t resist poking fun at the king of the dinosaurs. He chimed in, “They gonna have to remake all Jurassic Park movies one day.” The group erupted in laughter, imagining a Jurassic Park sequel where the fearsome T-Rex struggles to keep pace with a stock car. Or even with a pack of raptors.
It’s clear that Ryan Blaney’s fascination with dinosaurs and the Jurassic Park movies isn’t just a passing interest. It’s a genuine part of his personality. Whether he’s joking about racing a T-Rex or sharing childhood memories of being terrified by Jurassic Park, Ryan Blaney’s love for all things prehistoric shines through. He brings the same sense of wonder and fun to these conversations as he does to the racetrack. This side of Blaney makes him all the more relatable to fans.
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