Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s only one way we can ever describe professional stock car racer William Byron considering his brilliant mind and incredible career, it would be as an unconventional (sim-racing) prodigy. This much is actually even apparent in Netflix’s ‘NASCAR: Full Speed,’ which briefly delves deep into the way he navigates all aspects of his life while pursuing his unwavering passion for motorsports. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about his personal standing — well, his romantic personal standing with long-term girlfriend Erin Blaney, in particular — we’ve got the details for you.
William and Erin’s Journey
It was reportedly in 2019 when rising athlete William first came across E rin through social media, which honestly isn’t surprising considering they hail from similar crowds yet in a different manner. After all, she’s the granddaughter of modified dirt track competitor Lou Blaney, daughter of semi-retired pro David “Dave” Blaney, and younger sister of NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. Though the truth is this duo connected over not only their deep ties to racing but also their other similar hobbies/passions, complementary personalities, strong values, as well as unwavering beliefs.
“William is honestly the best,” University of Alabama Human Environmental Sciences 2019 graduate Erin gushed in the aforementioned original docuseries. “We’re both kind of goofy and young hearted.” Thus, of course, William didn’t shy away from quickly making them Instagram official on November 24 of the same year, by which point both their families were well aware of their romantic involvement. In fact, in the show, her brother conceded that after he found out, he “told her, ‘If you would’ve picked any of the other youngsters out there, I would be upset. But William is definitely the best one so…”
As for how Ryan actually found out about William and Erin, he was ostensibly on his way to a drivers’ meeting at Martinsville Speedway just before a race when one of his friends unwittingly broke the news. Upon learning this later on, his fellow competitor expressed, “No wonder he raced me so hard that day. I should have handled that better… It was [also] a little awkward that he actually brought it up first.” Ryan once even said he “wanted to mess with [William] before the race and tell him that I slyly figured it out, but I didn’t… I don’t care… [she] can do whatever she wants. And I like him. It’s all good.”
William and Erin Are Still Going Strong
Even though William and Erin aren’t very public when it comes to their connection, we’re happy to report they’re still going strong and currently residing together in Charlotte, North Carolina. If we’re being honest, this athlete has never shared much regarding his personal life on social media, whereas the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation Executive Director recently made her profiles private to steer away prying eyes. However, their continued romance is evident from the way she always shows up to support him during races; it’s admittedly hard for her at times since she’s also supportive of her brother, but she takes it in stride and considers her position a blessing more than anything else.
William and Erin’s last five years have had their fair share of issues, yet it appears as if they’ve always made conscious efforts to communicate, sort out their differences, as well as spend quality time together, enabling them to thrive in every sense of the word. They may not be too into PDA and prefer to keep their affinity well away from the limelight, but it’s clear there is genuine care, kindness, love, plus understanding between them, so we can’t wait for what’s next for them — hopefully, a proposal turned happily ever after.
