Who is Erin Blaney, the Sister of NASCAR Star Ryan Blaney?
The sibling of Team Penske’s champion driver typically stays out of the spotlight, but the end of her relationship with another current Cup Series competitor has left fans curious to know more.
The world of NASCAR is most definitely about high-octane competition on the track, but off of it, it’s a sport that celebrates friendship and, even more so, family. From the Jarretts to the Pettys, the Burtons to the Earnhardts, the passion for racing is often a part of a family legacy, passed down from generation to generation.
But the family connection isn't just confined to the track. While not every racer has a sister like Kelley Earnhardt Miller, who serves as the chief executive officer of JR Motorsports with Junior, sibling support runs just as deep as the competitive nature that’s powered the sport for eight decades. And when it comes to showing up for one’s family, 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney just might have the best in the biz with his sister, Erin Blaney.
Where is Erin Blaney from?
Born March 12, 1997, Erin Blaney grew up in Ohio and North Carolina alongside her younger sister Emma Blaney and her older brother Ryan, who would soon be following in the footsteps of his father Dave Blaney, himself a successful racer who was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2014.
After graduating from Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville, North Carolina, Blaney attended the University of Alabama. During her time there, she dedicated herself to her studies, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Human Environmental Science and Public Health Education and Promotion as well as a minor in Advertising. She currently lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina.
What does Erin Blaney do for a career?
In terms of her career, while she’s spent time in sales and interior design, Blaney has been the most active in the philanthropic sphere. She spent three years (2019-2022) as the Executive Director of the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation where she was in charge of fundraising nearly $1 million in addition to arranging sponsorships and events for the charitable organization. According to her LinkedIn profile, her duties often meant engaging with press outlets and developing targeted social media strategies to enhance the charity’s impact. Building on her communications and branding experience working for her brother’s nonprofit, Erin continues to help those in need through her new position as a Community Development Specialist for Make-A-Wish of Central and Western North Carolina.
Who did Erin Blaney date?
Erin Blaney dated fellow NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron from October 2019 to the early spring of 2024. Though the 27-year-old wheelman of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet is perennially a threat on the track, apparently Ryan Blaney wasn’t too initially concerned with “Willy B” off the track because he famously had no idea that one of his main competitors was dating his sister, Erin.
“My buddy’s like, ‘Hey I didn’t know about Willy and your sister,’” Blaney recalled back in 2020 in an interview with NBC Sports. “And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’”
“I really wanted to mess with him before the race and really tell him that I slyly figured it out, but I didn’t,” joked Blaney. “I texted Erin first. ‘I think you forgot to tell me some news.’”
Despite knowing that he’d still have to tango with Byron every weekend, in the end, Blaney gave Byron and Erin his blessing.
“I mean, people always ask me, ‘Are you mad that Will is dating your sister?’ I don’t care, she’s 22 and can do whatever she wants. And I like him. So it’s all good.”
At least, it was all good…
When did Erin Blaney and William Byron break up?
While it’s unclear as to what officially triggered the end of their long-term relationship, all signs point to Erin Blaney and Byron calling it quits during the spring of 2024. At that point, Byron and Erin had unfollowed each other across all forms of social media, and she had not been coming to as many races as she traditionally had been in the past, making it a reasonable deduction. Fans who were not in the know were treated to quite the news download via Team Hendrick’s Instagram post from 2024 NASCAR Awards when Byron arrived to the event solo – without Erin. Further evidence of a split can be gleaned off of Byron’s noticeable absence from Ryan and Gianna Tulio’s wedding in Aspen, Colorado in December.
Though things could always change, for right now it appears Erin Blaney and William Byron going their separate ways means Ryan and “Willy B” can leave the family part out of their racing season and get back to what they do best: competing.
