Ryan Blaney addresses Dale Earnhardt comparisons after Daytona victory

Ryan Blaney delivered an abrupt response to comparisons between himself and Dale Earnhardt after the NASCAR star’s victory at Daytona last weekend.

The 31-year-old’s charge from 13th to first during last weekend’s race at Daytona has evoked the name of the seven-time world champion, after comparisons were drawn between Blaney’s victory and Earnhardt’s 2000 win at Talladega.

However, when asked if he could be compared to Earnhardt in the post-race press conference, Blaney repeatedly said: “No.”

When probed further if he was one of the elite drivers at superspeedways, Blaney continued: “I think, yeah, I feel like I do a decent job. I feel like it comes from – I got to learn from a couple great guys.

“Like watching Joey [Logano] and Brad [Keselowski] when I got to Penske and just being around them and following them and got to see that for years, and I just was able to soak up all that information, how they went about it, and pick their brain.

“And then I was able to turn it around and apply it to my racing as I got a little bit more comfortable and experienced in it.”

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Blaney shuts down Earnhardt comparison

Blaney now has three wins at Talladega and two wins at Daytona, posing the question why he succeeds at superspeedways.

“I just try to be patient. It’s easy to get impatient in this deal, in the Daytona, Talladega things. I’ve got to take this run right now,” he continued.

“Sometimes you just have to let it play out and see what happens. I try to be that way. I try to be patient and disciplined and in it for the long haul, and that’s what we were tonight.

“I tried a couple moves that were kind of long shots and they didn’t work and I kind of settled in and I said, well, be patient and try to wait for an opportunity, and one came. Just fortunate that it worked out for us.

“I had a couple good teachers. But, yeah, I do feel like I try to do a decent job at this. I work really hard at it with me and Timmy and trying to figure out what spots to be in. And sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I just try not to cause any big wrecks. That’s the biggest thing.”

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