CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NASCAR offseason is a time for drivers and team members to get some much-needed rest, work on projects, and take the trips previously pushed to the side.
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For Ryan Blaney, however, the offseason is incredibly busy as he prepares for a pivotal moment in his life.
"I mean, my offseason has kind of been consumed by this wedding," Blaney said ahead of the NASCAR Awards. "Getting married in like three weeks, so that's kind of p1, for obvious reasons."
Blaney proposed to longtime girlfriend Gianna Tulio on Dec. 12, 2023, during a trip to the Cascade Mountains. The couple has spent the past year splitting time between the race season and planning their upcoming wedding.
Now that the season is over, Blaney is ready for his and Tulio's wedding day.
"The planning side, we both have learned, is fun for like six months, and then you get tired of it and you're ready for it to be here," Blaney said.
"So we're in that stage right now. We just want it to be here and us get out there and see everybody and do it."
Every couple approaches wedding planning differently. Some bring in professional planners who handle the heavy lifting. This way, they don't have to worry about the floral arrangements, catering, or the reception music.
Some couples do the planning themselves with one person taking point on the operation. Maybe this person has waited their entire life for their dream ceremony.
Others choose to "tag team" the planning and create the ceremony tailored to each person. This is the option that Blaney and Tulio chose.
Although the 2023 Cup Series champion has utilized an interesting strategy during the planning process.
"I try to give her as much as she wants, but she always wants to ask me my opinion," Blaney said. "I've become a pretty good answer of — she'll ask me what I think, and I just ask her what she thinks, and then I agree with what she thinks.
"'So what do you think about this?' I'm like, 'I don't know, what do you think about it?' And then she'll tell me. And I'm like, 'I think it sounds really good. I was thinking the same thing.'"
