Ryan Blaney recounts New Year's spent with wife Gianna, ‘huge motorsports fan’ Sydney Sweeney

Ryan Blaney had a fun offseason away from the racetrack, notably spending his New Year’s Eve in Key West alongside his wife Gianna in a group which included actress Sydney Sweeney.

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion shared photos on social media from his birthday getaway and recently explained how it came together during a sit-down interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports.

Ryan Blaney posted photos on social media from New Year's Eve in Key West with a group that included actress Sydney Sweeney. Blaney said he and his wife Gianna enjoyed hanging out with Sweeney, who has a love of cars. pic.twitter.com/cF33SMsEJd

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 27, 2025

“Yeah, I love Key West,” Blaney said. “Gianna and I both love Key West and my birthday’s on New Year’s Eve so we’re like, ‘well, what are we going to do for my birthday?’ I didn’t really want to do anything big or anything. And we just got the invite to go down there, and they happened to be in the same spot, and it was a lot of fun to be with them [Sydney Sweeney and her fiancé Jonathan Davino].

“And a lot of their friends were with them as well. So, they did it right down there in Key West. They were a lot of fun and great people, very, very amazing to us and the nicest people we’ve ever met. So yeah, it was pretty fortunate. What a heck of a way to kick off the New Year with a fun crowd like that.”

Blaney and Sweeney initially met the month prior, when the “Anyone but You” star took part in the NASCAR Racing Experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Blaney was at the racetrack and the two bonded over their love for cars.

Ryan Blaney recalls meeting Syndey Sweeney for first time

“Well, that’s how we initially met was the ride along,” Blaney said. “They were in town, her and her fiancé were in town, and I got to show them around and take them for some laps around Charlotte, and they were absolutely cheesing ear to ear. They loved it. And then they got to drive, and I thought they thought that was the coolest thing ever and so that was kind of how we got to know each other and kept in touch. And plans aligned to where we were gonna be in the same spot at the same time. It was a pretty fun deal.

“She loves cars. She’s a big Ford person as well so that’s cool. But yeah, she’s really into automobiles and different types of cars. She has an old Bronco, so we got talking about her old Bronco that she built. Cause I got an ’85 and I think hers is like a mid 70s, early 70s. She’s a huge fan of cars and motorsports and it was neat to show her into my world a little bit.”

Blaney, one of the biggest stars in American motorsports, said he was far from starstruck when he first met Sweeney.

“No, I mean, she’s just a person like everybody else,” Blaney said. “She was very, very gracious to us. And we were the same way. And just down to earth people and that’s always nice.”

Blaney and the rest of NASCAR’s best return to the racetrack in this Sunday’s Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem, North Carolina.