Ryan Blaney’s name has grown into a popular NASCAR brand over the past few years. Several race fans want to see the 2023 Cup Series champion reach Victory Lane and love it when he does.
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His growing popularity and fame have led the Team Penske driver to take a crucial step in his career and become the co-owner of Sharon Speedway, a ⅜th mile dirt race track in Central Ohio.
Dave Blaney, his father, has owned the facility since 2002, and the driver is now a part-owner of the facility along with local racer Will Thomas III.
He aims to use his one-third stake to upgrade the track to current standards and appeal to young fans. He also hopes to make the sport more accessible for everyone. Without question, his fans were there to celebrate this big moment with him.
He shared the news on X and wrote, “Excited to be joining Sharon Speedway and my dad as a partial owner. This track has meant a lot to our family throughout the years. Looking forward to keeping the legacy in racing going.”
One fan replied with gratitude, “Thanks for helping keep it going!” Another added, “Keep the legacy going!” One more said, “What a great step in the family legacy!”
Congratulations, Ryan. Excellent move. We drove up there from KY and spent several days enriching the local economy, so see the SRX race you and Chase drove in. It’s a fantastic venue!
— Janet Newman (@BorisandGracie) May 4, 2025
The Blaney name has deep ties with this track. The NASCAR champion’s grandfather, Lou, secured 121 Modified wins and 11 Sprint car wins on it. Dave grew up five miles from it and invested in it in 2002.
The venue currently hosts national dirt racing series, including World of Outlaws, All Star Circuit of Champions, Super DIRTcar Series, and Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series.
Does the investment make sense for Blaney?
Front Office Sports reported that Blaney earned $1.9 million racing for Team Penske last year. While he did not share any financial details about his deal with the track, it can be understood that it would have been a significant investment.
He takes confidence in his move from the good ideas that the ownership group has been floating around to fulfill his goals.
For instance, they have been thinking about offering kids the opportunity to take rides around the track. Blaney sees such a venture as a chance to hook them and think about a potential career in motorsports.
So, this appears to be more of a decision taken to keep the family legacy up while attempting to do good for the sport, more than to yield extraordinary financial returns.
