The couple – who have been dating for more than three years – announced the news in a joint Instagram post on Saturday
Ryan Blaney is engaged!
The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, 29, popped the question to his longtime girlfriend Gianni Tulio last week. The couple shared the news via a joint Instagram post on Saturday, with Tulio writing: “12•12•23. I said yes to my forever 🕊️.” Fittingly, 12 is Blaney’s car number for Team Penske.
The post featured a photo of Blaney on one knee on a snow-covered bridge, holding a ring to Tulli, who was wrapped in a long puffer coat and hat.
In another post on Sunday, the couple shared three photos from what appeared to be an engagement shoot, set against a wintry backdrop in the Cascade Mountains region of Washington. Tulio wrote: “The whole life of this ✨.”
Back in July, Blaney and Tulio celebrated three years of marriage. Alongside a photo of the pair enjoying a glass of wine together, the driver wrote: “3 years with this absolute gem. Thank you for being my love and best friend. Cheers darling! Had fun celebrating yesterday.”
Ryan Blaney and fiancée Gianna Tulio.
Chris Graythen/Getty
Tulio praised Blaney on Instagram in October when he won the YellaWood 500 at Talladega. “Talladega was such a dream, I went through all the emotions of this day! I couldn’t be more proud of this man here and everyone who is part of Team 12 🏁🖤,” she wrote in a post with photos from the race.
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Last month, Blaney — an Ohio native in his sixth full season driving for team owner Roger Penske — won his first Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway. While attending the NASCAR Awards in Nashville on Nov. 30, he told NASCAR.com that he enjoyed every moment of his win.
“I was trying to take it all in and try to slow everything down. That’s what I keep telling people,” he said.
“Even in Phoenix I thought, ‘We have to slow this stuff down and try to enjoy it and remember and accept it.’ We’ll keep trying, but it’s been great and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and what’s to come,” he continued.
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Blaney was honored at the awards ceremony, and after being introduced on stage, he told the audience how he was inspired to pursue a career in the sport after watching his father, Dave Blaney — a former NASCAR driver — race.
“Obviously, growing up, watching my dad race, that’s exactly what I wanted to do, and I wanted to be like my dad,” Blaney said, according to NASCAR.com. “I was very fortunate to be able to see that at a young age and get a whole spectrum of insight into what it’s like as a driver, to see how teams work.”
He also looked up to his team owner as a young driver making his way in the sport. “Roger and [wife] Kathy Penske — it’s hard to believe it’s been over 10 years since we first met,” Blaney said. “As a kid, there was nothing else I wanted to do but win you a championship and just be successful, because I was a huge fan of yours, not just in NASCAR but in every form of motorsports.”
Tulio celebrated the success of the Blaney’s Cup Series with a touching tribute. “I never doubted you and I never will. You made history and I’m so honored that I could be with you and watch you fight for it.❤️🏆,” she wrote.
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Source: HIS Education