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Ryan Blaney has idea for unique Christmas trip: have map, blindfold and dart, will travel

Food City 300

Ryan Blaney and father Dave.

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Ryan Blaney and his family have developed a pretty neat Christmas tradition over the last few years.

Here’s how Ryan explained it in a recent phone call with NASCAR Talk:

“One of the traditions we’ve started in my immediate family the past handful of years that I really like is we won’t really do the presents thing, we’ll do a family trip instead.

“I appreciate trips more than material things. I feel like that’s a different experience, going to see a different part of the world and things like that.

“And then to be able to do that with your family as well, that’s even better. So that’s something we’ve done, whether it’s done on Christmas or save it for after. That’s something I’ve really enjoyed.”

Where will this year’s trip take the Blaney family? It’s still to be determined.

But, Ryan has a pretty cool idea if he has anything to say about this year’s trip:

“Take a huge map and just blindfold yourself, stand 10 yards away and throw a dart at it. And if it lands anywhere in the ocean, then you get a re-do.

“I think that would be pretty neat, not know where you’re going, but wherever you land, you have to tough it out – even if it’s the worst place ever, you’ve still got to go there. As long as it’s not Siberia – it has to be somewhere reasonable.”

So we posed Ryan’s dream Christmas vacation to his father, sprint car racing legend Dave Blaney – who normally plans the family trips.

“No, Ryan has never told me anything like that, but hey, he’s a big-time Cup driver now, he can do that,” Dave Blaney said with a laugh.

The elder Blaney then added, with the laugh increasing more: “He can pay for it, so we’ll go. Let’s go! He does like to travel maybe more than I do. He really enjoys it.”

But, Dave Blaney is ready to test out Ryan’s toss dart, go pack theory:

“I’m throwing that dart right at Alaska and see what he does!” Dave said. “It’s so cold there, he will die. I’ll be ready for it now.”