“I want to be Jeff Gordon in the nineties”: Ryan Blaney wants to emulate NASCAR legend and ‘be everywhere’ 

2023 NASCAR Cup Series defending champion Ryan Blaney has unfurled his desire to experience the legendary racer Jeff Gordon's lifestyle after the latter sealed the championship in the nineties.

The fifth race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is about to take off on Sunday, March 17, at 3.30 PM ET. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney became the polesitter for the first time at the Bristol Motor Speedway by clocking the fastest speed of 124.954 mph at the final opportunity in the qualifying run.

With his top spot in the lineup, the #12 Ford Mustang driver's NASCAR tally now stands at a double-perfect ten as the Ohio native has bagged 10 NASCAR race victories and ten pole positions.

Being a NASCAR champion, Ryan Blaney is well-versed with the lifestyle changes that a champion experiences. However, the #12 Ford driver outlined his urge to be promoted like a celebrity, just like the legendary NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon used to be.

Post his dominant qualifying stint of the Food City 500 race, Ryan Blaney spoke about his desire to be like "Jeff Gordon in the nineties.” He shared his thoughts with Frontstretch reporter Trey Lyle (via X):

"I want to be Jeff Gordon in the nineties, he was everywhere...it has led him to where he is today and just notoriety. So that's like, that's the goal, I think that's where everybody wants to be, so we'll see who achieves it."

Ryan Blaney reflects on the track that "caught everyone by surprise" as he edged his rival for the P1 spot

After spending his championship year without securing even a solitary pole for the race, the Team Penske driver outperformed Stewart-Haas Racing driver Josh Berry. He clinched his first P1 grid start since bagging three consecutive pole positions in 2022, with the last one at the spring race at the Richmond Raceway.

Berry clocked the lowest time of 15.376 across the 0.533-mile oval, but Blaney sealed the top spot by a slim margin of 0.02 seconds as he became the fastest among all with a lap time of 15.356 seconds.

Ahead of his fifth NASCAR Cup Series run of the season, the 30-year-old unraveled his experience on the concrete track and emphasized how safe play ensured success at Bristol. He said (via ESPN):

"I think the track kind of caught everybody by surprise. The [lap] time fall off, the grip loss behind the wheel was incredible, huge. It was who cannot mess up a lap and still put a decent time down...I think there was still some more out there."