Ryan Blaney has opened up about his inspirations growing up and how he wants to have someone to see him in the same manner in the future. He expressed a hopeful vision that, 10 years from now, younger drivers may look up to him with similar admiration.In an interview with Frontstretch, Blaney fondly looked back at how he had raced against such legendary NASCAR champions as Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, whom he had greatly admired when he was a kid. Blaney said he had a special moment in his career, to be alongside his heroes on the track, because to him running with them towards the fag end of their Cup Series careers was meaningful and mind-blowing. He talked about the influence they had on his development as a NASCAR driver.Looking to the future, Blaney hopes his own career can inspire rising racers, just as he was inspired by Gordon and Stewart. "I loved Jeff Gordon growing up. I loved Tony. It was really special to get out there and run with those guys. Hopefully, 10 years down the road, you've got somebody who feels that way about me like I felt about Jeff and Tony," he shared as reported by Motorsport on X.In 2023, Blaney gave him the first career Cup Series championship after an extraordinary playoff performance of three wins, including the Coca-Cola 600, one of the marquee events at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with the No. 12 Ford Mustang of Team Penske. His title run helped Team Penske win consecutive titles in the Cup Series, the first time in their history.Blaney began the 2025 season with a seventh-place finish at the Daytona 500, and positive results continued with top-10 finishes throughout the season to the playoffs. Though there have been a few missteps and a few DNFs (seven this season), Blaney has been one of the in-form drivers entering the playoffs, and he has made six consecutive top-10 finishes with a victory at Daytona.Ryan Blaney comments on playoff tracks which worry him Ryan Blaney recently shared insights on the 2025 NASCAR playoffs, highlighting his confidence in Team Penske's strength and his own readiness for the postseason challenges. Blaney expressed excitement about the playoff tracks, especially Gateway, and appreciated the team effort that led to his impressive finish in the regular season standings despite seven DNFs. While speaking to Kevin Harvick, Blaney said [via NASCAR on FOX on YouTube]:"The only tracks I'd be worried about is, if you get to Talladega in the round of 8, that's obviously a toss up. You never know what can happen at the ROVAL in the round of 12. You never know what can happen anywhere. I mean, you can go have a bad week anywhere you go. But I think all the tracks we've really done well at, I think our road course program has gotten way better... Honestly, it's just a matter of going and doing our job and just executing the way that I know this team can do it. And hopefully it's great to have all of our cars in it." [5:30]He emphasized that his team understands the need for improvement and is focused on executing their race strategy effectively.