Ryan Blaney Pays Tribute to Cup Legend at Atlanta

Getty Ryan Blaney prepares for a race at Pocono.

Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney is partnering with sponsor Advance Auto Parts to pay tribute to a NASCAR Cup Series legend. He will head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart in a color scheme referencing 1989 Winston Cup champion Rusty Wallace, the winner of 55 races at the top level.

According to a press release, Blaney will get rid of his standard red and yellow Advance Auto color scheme. Instead, he will drive a yellow and black Team Penske Ford Mustang, similar to Wallace’s No. 2 Miller Genuine Draft ride that graced NASCAR tracks from 1991-1996. Blaney’s stock car will feature the “same day” branding from Advance Auto, advertising free curbside and in-store pickup within 30 minutes of placing an order.

“You always like returning to a track where you’re the most recent winner. Obviously Atlanta is a really unique track with worn out asphalt and tons of character,” Blaney said in a press release. “Certainly look forward to racing there with the new Advance Same Day services paint scheme. Advance is continuing to provide better ways to serve the car enthusiast and exciting to have them use NASCAR and our No. 12 Mustang to push the message to consumers.

“We had a lot of fun shooting the social video to unveil the scheme with Rusty Wallace a few weeks ago. He made the black and yellow scheme famous in NASCAR driving for Roger Penske, and won at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1993 to cap off a 10-win season, so hopefully we can add another victory on Sunday.”

Wallace Enjoyed a Hall of Fame Career in NASCAR

GettyRoger Penske (left) and Rusty Wallace (right) pose at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

A member of a racing family, Wallace made his Cup Series debut in 1980 for Roger Penske. He started a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and secured the first top-five finish of his career, finishing second behind Dale Earnhardt.

Wallace continued to make part-time starts in the Cup Series until 1984 when he made all 30 starts in the season. He drove for Cliff Stewart and secured two top-five finishes, as well as Rookie of the Year honors. Though Wallace did not win a race until the 1986 season while driving for Raymond Beadle’s Blue Max Racing.

Wallace remained with Blue Max Racing until the end of the 1990 season, winning 18 times and capturing the 1989 championship. However, he made a major move and switched to Penske where he remained until his 2005 retirement. Wallace did not win another championship while driving the No. 2, but he added 37 wins to his total and bolstered his Hall of Fame resume, resulting in his induction in 2013.

Blaney Will Try to Reach Victory Lane Once Again at Atlanta

GettyRyan Blaney celebrates in Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Cup Series took on AMS for the first time in 2021 on Sunday, March 21. Two drivers, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr., entered the race weekend as favorites to win after taking the checkered flags at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 7) and Phoenix Raceway (March 14), respectively. However, Blaney took care of business and punched his ticket to the playoffs.

The early portions of the race featured pure domination by Larson. The driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro won the first two stages and led 269 of the 325 laps. He failed to win his second race of the season due to Blaney making a late move and overtaking him with eight laps to go.

While Larson started the day with the best car in the field, he began to lose grip as the race progressed. Blaney, on the other hand, had a strong car that only improved as the No. 12 team made adjustments. Once Blaney passed Larson, he used his car and his teammates to extend his lead to nearly two seconds.

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