It is the survival of the fittest in the world of NASCAR, as the 36 drivers aim at one common target in sight without budging an inch for the other drivers to pass by them. The drivers may be the best of friends outside the tracks, but once put their helmets on and they start their engines, all relations take a back seat, and the only goal in mind is to win.

But the journey to the victory lane is easier said than done and takes months, if not years, for a driver to taste the win. And no one knows it better than Ryan Blaney, as he finally ended his 59-race winless streak after taking the chequered at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

The Team Penske driver may have held his composure and patience throughout the span of 59 races, but he did face a downturn in his motivation as self-doubt crept into the head of the driver. He candidly divulges these facts in the short documentary by NASCAR, Driver Pressure.

Ryan Blaney Talks About the Constant Threat That Looms Over the Drivers and Their Performance

Unlike most drivers on the grid, Ryan Blaney comes out to be more of a reserved type or a not-so-vocal driver. But even this self-restrained driver had moist eyes when he won the Crown Jewel at the Coke 600 event, as a huge pressure was lifted from his shoulders.

In the post-race interview, as per the Athletic, the Team Penske driver had expressed the fact, “We try to win every week, and it’s hard to do. It’s hard to win these races. Sometimes you just get in these streaks of things that just aren’t going right. And then you feel like you’re doing everything right. Maybe your cars aren’t fast enough to win races or you’re making too many mistakes. It can definitely be frustrating.”

These lines reveal perhaps the most harsh reality that hovers in the minds of the drivers. The pressure to perform consistently throughout the course of the season is perhaps the biggest ghost that haunts the drivers, or with the probability of losing the seat to another competitor. Ryan Blaney states these truths in the latest NASCAR Short Film.

He shares, “A couple of guys for the win and it’s tight, that’s a lot of intensity. Can you perform under this pressure in this situation and end up winning the race? It is a lot of instinctual, a lot of gut feeling, its a lot of past experience.”

Blaney also adds, “Everything is based on performance, when you are getting paid for it, that’s why you are there. If you do a good job, you are gonna keep your job. If you are not performing, then you are not gonna be in that job for very long.”

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This performance pressure does take a mental toll on the drivers, which often acts as a hindrance in delivering a good result. Owing to this pressure in recent times, athletes from other fields have been vocal about their mental health, and have even withdrawn their names from various eminent matches. The list includes the names of Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka.

And witnessing how these athletes chose their health over gaining medals, Team Penske, in 2022, revealed, “The whole world is watching you and your country is rooting for you, but those things you just have to deal with personally on your own, and people deal with those things differently.”  

It is not just Ryan Blaney who had made the pressure revelation, but also the 7x Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson. He revealed how empathy is an important element for all athletes across the world of sports. He had expressed to Autoweek, “Sure, I’ve had low moments, but I’ve always been a glass is half full optimistic kind of guy”

“I don’t know where that comes from. There have been plenty of challenging moments along the way and certainly no guarantees with my career.”

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The constant threat of being replaced by a better option or being outdone by the other competitors surely is taxing for the drivers. But it is this pressure, which pushes them out of their comfort zone and forces them to be a better version of themselves and prove to the world they are one of a kind.