Filed under: Dale Blaney: Late Model Fan | Tags: All Star Circuit of Champions, Dale Blaney, Dave Blaney, dirt late Models, Lernerville, Lou Blaney, NBA’s Washington Wizards, OHIO LATE MODEL SPEEDWEEK, PPMS, Raceway 7, Sharon Speedway, Sprint Cars, Wayne County Speedway
From 2003: “I feel like it’s going to be one of our best races of the year,” stated Dale Blaney, general manager of Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH, who also happens to be one of Sprint Car racing’s most talented drivers when asked about his upcoming Xtreme Dirt Car Series race at the historic Hartford, OH racetrack. Originally scheduled for Wednesday July 9 as part of the OHIO LATE MODEL SPEEDWEEK, the race was postponed due to huge storms that swept through Ohio for several days also forcing the cancellation of the Wayne County Speedway OHIO LATE MODEL SPEEDWEEK race. While WCS has cancelled their event, Sharon Speedway management decided to reschedule theirs and it will be held on Tuesday September 2. The event will be presented by Park Ohio and Biscotti’s Restaurant“Those guys always put on a really good show wherever they go,” said Blaney. “It’s not too often they get in this area, up at Raceway 7 a little bit and over at Wayne County, but this gives people an opportunity for people to see Bloomquist and Eckert and Francis and all those guys. They have a lot of guys that always run pretty good.”
While Blaney is known for his Sprint Car skill, he currently drives the Fritz Andrews Motorsports Sprint Car and before becoming an All Star Circuit of Champions title champion repeatedly and a traveling World of Outlaw star before the family purchase of Sharon Speedway, Blaney was a member of the NBA’s Washington Wizards before knee injuries cut short his basketball career. But make no mistake, Blaney, like his brother, Winston Cup star Dave Blaney and his legendary Sprint and Modified superstar father, Lou Blaney, he is all racer no matter what type of racecar and enjoys the competition.
With Blaney’s renovations of Sharon Speedway and a new surface and configuration, he will offer the dirt Late Model drivers a level playing field of sorts as the old half mile is gone, replaced with a new, racy 3/8 mile clay oval. For all intents and purposes, it’s a “new” track for all the teams, which should increase the level of drama during the event.
“There are a lot of places those guys go to during the year that it’s the first time seeing a place so I’m sure they will find something when they come here and look at it,” commented Blaney. “It will remind them of someplace. I always do that when I go to a track for the first time, I always look at it and see what it reminds me of and race it like that. Being that it’s going to be the first time on it for all of them I’m sure it will be pretty neat. It will give everyone a pretty equal chance of running good, or running bad (laughs)!”
Another factor that Blaney has seen and is enjoying is the fan response to this event.
“It’s been good,” understated Blaney. “I know there was a lot of excitement in July for it. A lot of people I talked to as I traveled to races, especially during the Ohio Sprint Speedweek the week before, told me they were looking forward to coming over and watching it the next week. So hopefully they’ll all come back here in September and watch it. But there are a lot of Late Model fans around here. Raceway 7 runs them every week, and Lernerville, PPMS, Wayne County, so there are a lot of race car drivers and fans in this area that hopefully will be excited to have those guys come in.”
It is also likely that Sharon Speedway will also enjoy a ‘cross-over’ of fans as Sprint Car and Modified fans are known to venture out to an Xtreme Dirt Car Series race when they come close to an area where the other forms of racing are dominant. Call it the curiosity factor if you like, but race fans are interested in racing of most forms, especially when it’s a nationally known commodity like the Xtreme Dirt Car Series.
“Sure, I think so, I think we’ll get a cross-over,” confirmed Blaney. “It will help and maybe hurt being on a Tuesday night. There won’t be any other races going on so that will attract a lot of people but also, during the week it may not. But a racecar fan is a racecar fan and they will come out and watch. I enjoy watching the Late Model guys race. I don’t get to watch them in person too often, every now and then. I saw a Renegade race at KC (Raceway) earlier this year and that’s always fun. But I know a lot of those guys, like Eckert and Francis and Balzano and I talk to them when I see them and I know every now and then I’ll see them at a Sprint Car race when they’re close to us. But I really enjoy watching those cars race.”
So does the talented race have any desire to climb into a dirt Late Model someday and give it a try?
“Oh, I always wanted to jump into one of those things,” explained Blaney. “I’ve run my Dad’s Modified a few times this year and have in the past a couple times. But I have never really got to sit down in a Late Model and run one of them. Any racecar driver is always wanting to try something new, I would think. But I really never had a chance to run one of them but yeah, one of those things would be really neat to run. I’d hate to jump into one and run against the Xtreme guys the first night I ever run one (laughs)! I wouldn’t mind getting a little practice. But those are pretty cool cars and I’d love to sit down in one of them.”
Reserved seats for the Xtreme DirtCar event at Sharon Speedway are $27 for adults (ages 14 and older) and $14 for children (ages 3 to 13). General admission seats are $25 for adults 14 and older, $12 for kids 6 to 13, and free for children 5 and under. Fans can purchase advance reserved seats by calling the speedway office at (330) 772-5481. Reserved seats can be purchased in advance by calling the track office Monday – Friday from 10am – 4pm at 330-772-5481. MasterCard/Visa/Discover accepted. Advance tickets will be sold until 4pm on Friday, August 29th. Gates will open at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with hot laps beginning at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. Fans can call (330) 772-5481 or visit http://www.sharonspeedway.com for more information and directions.
Sharon Speedway runs every Saturday night and their weekly program consists of Sunburst Environmental Sprints, Gibson-Governor Insurance Modifieds, Coy Brothers Trucking E-mods and City Disposal Services Pure Stocks.
©2003-2008 Doc Lehman/Dirt America
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