Ryan Blaney was a key figure in the first season of "NASCAR: Full Speed." He is back for "Full Speed: Season 2" and ready to show off even more of his life to racing fans.
The 2023 Cup Series champion revealed during a media session last weekend at Talladega that he gave the camera crews even more access to his life, whether it was preparing for a race or his wedding to Gianna Tulio.
Blaney wasn't required to open up in this way, but he and Gianna deliberately chose to be accommodating.
"It was a blast," Blaney said about filming the second season. "And I honestly, I opened up a lot. I opened up even more than what I did in season one, just because I really enjoyed the project, and I thought it was a great idea to do.
"And I think after season one, it's like, OK, this is really great. People enjoy it. The film crew is awesome. And let's open ourselves up even more and give a little bit more access."
This access was not limited to the Blaney home life. Camera crews followed Gianna as she tried on her wedding dress for the first time, which meant that the production team saw the dress before Blaney.
The crew followed Blaney as he prepared for the cutoff race at Martinsville Speedway, an event he needed to win to reach the Championship 4 for the second consecutive season. It then showed him attending a Whiskey Myers concert while in Phoenix, Arizona.
Nothing was off-limits during the filming of the second season. ...Ok, a couple of things were off-limits, but Netflix viewers don't need to see that anyway.
"Besides the obvious," Blaney said while chuckling. "You're getting married. I mean, I think there was a couple of things that I said no to, but I really said yes to a lot of like the competition-related stuff, no matter how good or bad it was going.
"'Hey, OK, come on in and film this stuff and get kind of just live reactions.' I'd even say before some races, 'Like no matter how this goes, be around just to kind of get it as natural as you can. Just kind of be a fly on the wall, whether I'm walking back on my bus or right after the race.'"
NASCAR fans have been vocal about their desire to get access beyond the races. Vlogs, documentaries, and posts on social media have been avenues they have used to learn more about teams and their favorite drivers.
The Netflix series, as Blaney discovered last year, took this to a whole other level. He saw how the fans responded to the behind-the-scenes moments showing him away from the No. 12 Ford Mustang.
He also repeatedly heard how Gianna became a bit of a fan favorite despite making fewer appearances. After all, she made a big impression when Netflix dropped the first trailer the "NASCAR: Full Speed."
"I get more people than ever -- when Gianna said, 'Be Ryan effing Blaney' -- that come up to me and that's like their catchphrase now is that quote," Blaney said. "And so that part's pretty funny. I can't believe that stuck.
"She was mortified when they caught that on camera. But she's kind of taken it now."
So far, the only trailer for "Full Speed: Season 2" has provided brief glimpses of the characters and the storylines that took center stage over five episodes. In fact, Blaney noted that he has only seen the few clips that Netflix shared with him. He hasn't seen the full episodes featuring him and other playoff drivers.
Blaney and other viewers will not get the full story until May 7 when "Full Speed: Season 2" lands on Netflix. For now, he will move forward with the current schedule while pursuing his first win of the season.