You would think reigning NASCAR champ Ryan Blaney wouldn’t be intimidated by anyone but you’d be wrong.
Blaney recently admitted there are at least two drivers who can’t stand to compete against: Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.
“Everyone has their tendencies when you’re racing them,” Blaney said. “You learn that when you run against these guys for a long time. Do they like to put you in bad situations, trying to make you lift? Like Denny and Larson, they love to try to make you lift. It’s not a bad thing, but they do like taking a lot of space. … Like, if they’re on the inside, they like to do the shove-it-in-there-and-push-you-up-the-racetrack and try to put you in a tight spot.”
Blaney also admitted that he hates having to restart with either driver nearby.
“I wouldn’t say I don’t enjoy it; I love racing with those guys, because they are great racers. But if I do have a restart next to those guys, that’s in the back of my head: ‘Oh, they might take a lot of space and I just have to be ready for that,” he said.
It’s interesting to note that both Hamlin and Larson have garnered reputations over the years for rough driving which hasn’t exactly made them fan or driver favorites.
