Lou Blaney | |
---|---|
Born | Louis George Blaney January 4, 1940 |
Died | January 25, 2009 69) | (aged
Motorsport career | |
Debut season | 1958 |
Car number | 10 |
Championships | 7 |
Wins | 600+ |
Louis George "Lou" Blaney (January 4, 1940 – January 25, 2009) was an American racecar driver who raced modifieds and sprint cars. [1] He was also the operator and part-owner of Sharon Speedway. [2]
Blaney was born in Hartford Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, where his father worked at a sawmill. He died in Sharon, Pennsylvania.
He won 600 races in 47 years of racing, and is a member of the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame and Pittsburgh Circle Track Club Halls of Fame. [3]
He had 2 sons, both of whom race, as does a grandson. Dave Blaney is a World of Outlaws champion and former NASCAR Cup Series driver along with his son Ryan, who himself is a NASCAR Cup Series champion and Team Penske driver, while Dale Blaney is a sprint car driver. Dale also was a college basketball player and was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, but decided not to pursue an NBA career so that he could focus on racing. In 2001 Blaney was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. [4]
On January 25, 2009, Blaney died at age 69. He suffered from undisclosed medical problems for some time, and the cause of death was not released by his family. [5]
Lou Blaney Memorial Race runs at Sharon Speedway every year. [6]
Robert Nold "Red" Byron was an American stock car racing driver, who was successful in NASCAR competition in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion in 1948 and its first Strictly Stock champion in 1949. Along with Bob Flock, he is considered one of the best drivers of the era. He won the first NASCAR race at Daytona Beach and Road Course and won the inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock driver's championship.
David Louis Blaney is a semi-retired American professional stock car racing driver. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR, competing in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series. For many years, he was a regular at Super Dirt Week in Syracuse, New York, although he never won that event. He owns Sharon Speedway in Hartford Township, Trumbull County, Ohio. His brother Dale Blaney is a sprint car driver. His son, Ryan Blaney, is the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Dave was also known as the “Buckeye Bullet”.
Charles "Red" Farmer is an American professional stock car racing and dirt track racing driver. He currently competes part-time in 602 Crate Dirt Late Models in the No. F97 Ford Mustang for his own team. He is a member of the Alabama Gang.
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Website
Speedway History
Sharon Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt oval race track located in Hartford Township, Ohio and named for the nearby city of Sharon, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1929, making it one of the oldest continuously running dirt ovals in the United States. The track is currently part-owned and operated by the Blaney family, which includes NASCAR driver Dave Blaney. Blaney's father and former driver, Lou Blaney, originally assisted in the operation of the track. Lou Blaney died on January 25, 2009.
Modified stock car racing, also known as modified racing and modified, is a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other on oval tracks. First established in the United States after World War II, this type of racing was early-on characterized by its participants' modification of passenger cars in pursuit of higher speeds, hence the name.
Ocean Speedway, formerly known as Watsonville Speedway, is a dirt oval located in Watsonville, California, United States, at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
Kenny Brightbill, nicknamed the "Shillington Slingshot" and "Mr. Excitement" is a former NASCAR and professional dirt modified driver from Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. He has won 441 career professional races and is also the all time wins leader of Reading Fairground Speedway with 135 career wins. lBrightbill has won many of the most noted races for dirt track modifieds in the Northeastern United States, most notably 1988 Syracuse Miller High Life 300.
Jac Haudenschild is an American racing driver. Nicknamed "The Wild Child" for his daring driving style, he is most famous for driving winged sprint cars with the World of Outlaws.
William “Billy” Rafter is a retired American champion stock car driver from Clarence Center, New York and a pioneer of the sport.
Dick “Toby” Tobias was an American stock car and sprint car racing driver from Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He revolutionized the dirt track modified stock car class by producing a chassis constructed of tubular steel.
Brian Swartzlander is an American Dirt Modified racing driver who has earned 15 track championships including 7 at the Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania.
Mervyn "Merv" Treichler is a retired American stock car racing driver who competed on both asphalt and dirt surfaces. In 1970 he won the Race of Champions, the premier asphalt race for modifieds. He also claimed the marquee events for dirt modifieds at Super Dirt Week in 1981 and 1982.
Ken "Kenny" Meahl is a retired American Modified racing driver. He was the driver for teen car owner Jerry Cook for several years before the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver came of age.