“I’ve poked around that idea with RP for a couple of years now, and we’ll have to see where that goes.” That was Ryan Blaney in December 2023 admitting his interest in the Indy 500. Over the last few years in NASCAR, he has done everything to Team Penske’s standards. He won the Cup Series title, became one of Penske’s most reliable drivers, and signed an extension with the team. Now, three years later, he has casually hinted at it again. However, there are complicated strings attached.

Blaney went on to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and admitted that the Indianapolis 500 had piqued his interest before. Here’s the clear picture from his perspective:

“Honestly, it’s kind of piqued my interest before, and with Penske having the teams that they do, I wouldn’t say it would never happen.”

That line right there matters a lot because Team Penske is not just any other name on the grid. Roger Penske also happens to have one of the strongest IndyCar programs in the world. The problem here is that although there is one organization involved in both forms of motorsport, it works with different manufacturers.

In NASCAR, they run with Ford, and of course, Blaney is one of their biggest stars. However, in IndyCar, Penske is with Chevrolet engines through its partnership with Ilmor Engineering.

So if Ryan Blaney ever goes on to race in the Indy 500 with Penske, Ford’s top NASCAR driver would suddenly be sitting inside a Chevy-powered car in one of motorsport’s biggest events. That is a nightmare waiting to happen, even in a simple conversation.

When we talk about another driver in this capacity, that would be Kyle Larson. He’s never had this issue. When Larson attempted “the double,” running both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, he was inside Chevrolet’s ecosystem. Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren both have Chevy branding from start to finish. Blaney does not have that luxury. He even admitted the problem during the interview.

“But yeah, the Ford side and the Chevy side, that would be a little difficult, I feel like,” he said.

This is not an invalid concern, since NASCAR has a very fresh example showing just how serious these manufacturer matters can be. Connor Zilisch had plans to race in Australia’s Supercars finale. That opportunity stalled because Zilisch is in a tie-up with Chevrolet through Trackhouse Racing. On the other hand, the team that he wanted to race with, that is, Triple Eight Race Engineering, is shifting to Ford.

Therefore, understandably, the manufacturers did not want one of their young talents crossing over into rival territory. Still, Blaney sounds genuinely fascinated by the challenge. He specifically mentioned watching Larson deal with the chaos of it all:

“I enjoyed watching Larson’s journey doing that. It seemed stressful, like, can I get back to Charlotte in time?”

Along the topic of Kyle Larson, his attempt was disrupted by the weather in both years. In 2024, rain delayed the Indianapolis race, so Larson had to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600 entirely. So Blaney knows how messy it all can be, but he’s tempted by it.

Part of it is understandable since the feat itself represents something big. Tony Stewart is the gold standard in that regard. Back in 2001, Stewart completed all 1,100 miles between Indianapolis and Charlotte in the same day. He finished sixth at Indy and third in Charlotte without losing even a lap.

Nobody has been able to do that since. So for a driver like Blaney, this accomplishment is a final boss battle. Let’s not forget that Team Penske is at the center of everything. With the new deal in place, their role is significantly bigger.

Ryan Blaney’s $100 million handcuffs

The biggest complication for Blaney right now is not whether Penske can give him a fast IndyCar. It’s more related to the business side of things. Earlier this month, Team Penske signed Blaney to a massive long-term extension with Ford and sponsor Menards. So, on paper, he is one of Ford’s cornerstone drivers right now.

This leads to two different realities for Blaney. On one side, he now has more influence inside the Penske office, since he does not have to be wary of job security. If he wants to approach Roger Penske for Indianapolis, this would be the time to do it.

But on the other hand, this deal also ties him to Ford tighter than ever. Roger Penske’s IndyCar program is entirely powered by Chevrolet. If Blaney races with a Chevrolet engine, of course, it would be problematic for Ford. That too, considering the race is one of the biggest events in motorsports. Manufacturers do not have the tolerance for that kind of crossover.

Plus, Blaney’s timing is a little off, too. His NASCAR season has become frustrating in all the wrong ways. To put it mildly, they have speed but are lacking in execution.

Let’s take Darlington, for example. Blaney had a top-five car before a pit-road mistake early in Stage 2 ruined his race. A loose left-side lug nut forced him to make an unscheduled stop that buried him deep within the field. While a car that was capable of fighting for the win ultimately recovered to finish an impressive 3rd, the unforced error completely altered its strategy.

After that came the Dover All-Star weekend. Blaney looked like a natural threat before another pit-road disaster ruined his qualifying attempt. The jack dropped early during the Pit Crew Challenge stop before the right-rear tire was secured, turning a potential front-row start into a massive disappointment and forcing him to start from the back of the pack, where he eventually finished 13th in the All-Star Race.

Understandably, he would look to stabilize his star player in NASCAR, rather than having him branch out. And let’s face it, an Indy 500 attempt is not a side hobby. It also needs simulator work, open-wheel testing, travelling, and physical preparation.

So now Roger Penske has to decide whether letting Ryan Blaney split his focus makes sense while the crew is already tripping over the races it should be winning in NASCAR. While this is still just a concept on Ryan’s end, the only realistic path is if Ford commercially benefits from his appearance in IndyCar, even with a Chevy engine.