Ryan Blaney on NASCAR drivers: ‘We’re all superstars’

The debate over NASCAR superstars rages on. Ryan Blaney, the defending Cup Series champion, believes there are many in the sport. Perhaps the goal should be to market today’s stars better.

Ryan Blaney knows NASCAR, he knows racing. He is a third-generation racer and the Blaney family legacy is full of great performances, wins, and championships. When it comes to “superstars” in motorsports, it is tricky to define, though.

Wins and championships are important. However, there are plenty of winners and even champions who didn’t meet the heights of others in pop culture or NASCAR fandom.

For Blaney, there are 36 drivers every week who could be turned into superstars. They just have to have the right formula. Drivers, teams, and (I would argue especially) sponsors have to put in the effort and the money to make that happen.

“We’re all superstars,” Blaney said, via the Kansas City Star. “Every driver. Everyone is special in their own right. Everyone is successful with how they’ve approached everything. Some branch out more than others in different aspects outside the racetrack and some decide to stick around the racetracks and grow their stardom there with the fans at the racetrack, so everyone approaches it differently.

“Yes, Jeff Gordon through the ‘90s was the biggest star in anything, but times change. The times are different. You don’t have guys winning 10 races anymore. This car doesn’t allow that, so how do you separate yourself to make yourself stand out? How do you make yourself different from the rest of the drivers who are all really good at what they do?

“It starts with success on the racetrack and then the organizations marketing these drivers with how great they are at what they do, and then the drivers have to be willing to do it and be in that role. You don’t need to pluck out one person. There are a lot of us here and you can push it, you can make 36 superstars. I think that’s definitely possible.”

Drivers like Ernie Irvan were big stars, but never reached championship status. The same for drivers like Jeff Burton, Michael Waltrip, Geoff Bodine, and others. Those drivers had the full force of sponsors and marketing departments behind them, though.

Outside of a NASCAR broadcast or social media, you don’t even see drivers in TV commercials much anymore. Ryan Blaney has a point – the star power is there in NASCAR but it needs to be exposed.