Blaney, father of NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney, completed the final lap last weekend and won at his home track, Sharon Speedway. He caught Danny Dietrich, a noted sprint car fan from central Pennsylvania and around the country, licking the checkers. “It’s huge,” Blaney said after the win. “You know, this is a Dale (Blaney) race and I try to win it every year. I beat him in my last race. But I beat Danny in the last race. “Now it’s officially over.”Ryan Blaney posted a message for his father on Channel X. “Congratulations to Pops on his latest endeavor,” she wrote. “I wish I was there to see Bullet Park for the last time. Hi dad!”
Blaney, known as the “Buckeye Bullet,” drove 473 NASCAR Cup Series races over 61 years. He recorded 28 top-10s in that span. He also completed 121 races in the Xfinity Series with one win and 31 top-10s. But Blaney shined brightest in sprint car racing, where he was named the All-Star Sprint Rookie of the Year in 1983 and was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in the spring of 2014. His list of accomplishments is Hall of Fame worthy. Blaney won the Chili Bowl Nationals in 1993 and was the Outlaw World Champion in 1995. He ranks seventh in the All-Star Series with 49 wins and eighth in the Outlaw Series with 95 wins.
