It all began with George.
In addition to operating a lumber business in Hartford, Ohio, George Blaney owned a multi-car race team. In 1958, his son, Lou, joined fellow drivers Gib Orr and Dale Johnson as the third entry on the Blaney racing team, dubbed the “Three White Mice.” Behind the wheel of a ’34 Chevy coupe, Lou Blaney launched a magnificent 47-year racing career.
He accumulated roughly 600 victories in supermodifieds, sprint cars and modifieds. Two-hundred of those triumphs came in sprint cars between 1961 and ’81, including the 1966 Williams Grove National Open. Between 1972 and ’78, Blaney had a lock on the sprint car championship at Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway, winning all but one (in ’76 he finished second to Ted Wise).
In the meantime, Lou Blaney met and married Kate Keir. The couple had two sons — Dave in 1962 and Dale two years later.
In 1979, Lou Blaney’s focus turned to big-block dirt modifieds. Piloting a red and white No. 10 car, Blaney claimed five modified championships at Sharon Speedway, which sat just two miles from the family home. He won the Lernerville Speedway modified championship in 1989, ’91 and ’96.
Lou Blaney turned the sprint car over to Dave Blaney in 1981. A year later, Dave Blaney ran the full All Star Circuit of Champions schedule, finishing third and earning rookie-of-the-year honors. The next season, Dave Blaney won seven All Star features and was again third in points.
Driving for Ralph and Jim DePalma, Dave Blaney won the USAC Silver Crown Series title in 1984 despite not winning a race.
He continued competing with USAC but was also running more frequently in a winged sprint car in World of Outlaws competition, where he saw a more lucrative future. With crew chief Gary “Deuce” Turrill, Blaney claimed his first WoO victory in 1985 while driving for Mike Bishop. In ’88, he finished fourth in Outlaws points.
In 1989, Blaney split time between the World of Outlaws and the fledgling USA series, finishing fourth in WoO points. He also claimed his first of three runner-up finishes in the big-block modified Super DIRT Week finale at the New York State Fairgrounds.
Lou and Dave Blaney had been basketball standouts, but Dale Blaney took that to a new level. After an outstanding high school career, he was a four-year starter for West Virginia University. In 1986, he was a fourth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, on the final day of training camp, Blaney informed head coach Pat Riley he was leaving. Basketball had stopped being enjoyable and what he really yearned to do was race sprint cars like his father and brother.
Dale Blaney made his sprint car racing debut in 1990, wheeling a car owned by Denny Stockdale. The 26-year-old won two features at Sharon Speedway that season, then six the next year on his way to claiming the 1991 Lernerville Speedway championship.
In 1992, Dave Blaney competed in his first NASCAR Cup Series event, driving a Pontiac for Stan Hover at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, Dale Blaney earned rookie-of-the-year honors during the Knoxville Nationals.
Dave Blaney started 1993 by winning the Chili Bowl Nationals, then drove a Ford-powered sprinter for Casey and Beverly Luna on the WoO trail. He claimed 11 victories, including Eldora Speedway’s Kings Royal, in their mount that season with crew chief Kenny Woodruff and finished second to Steve Kinser in the championship.
In 1994, Dave Blaney was again runner-up to Kinser, while earning 10 wins in the Lunas’ sprint car. After being rideless in ’93, Dale Blaney piloted Dean and D.J. Lindsey’s No. 2d car in ’94, claiming five All Star feature victories and sharing rookie-of-the-year honors with Tim Shaffer.
Dave Blaney won 12 features in 1995, including his second Kings Royal and captured the WoO championship. Dale Blaney signed with Tim Hughes and won the All Star championship and the Ohio Sprint Speedweek title.
In 1996, Dave Blaney was runner-up to Mark Kinser in WoO points, while Dale Blaney won a second All Star title and the Brad Doty Classic.
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