It all began for the Blaney family when patriarch George began a racing team alongside his lumber business in Ohio midway through the 20th century. In 1958, his son Lou Blaney joined the three-car racing operation to compete in modified and sprint car races. What followed was a 47-year career that would serve as the strong foundation upon which the Blaney legacy stands tall today.
Advertisement
Lou accumulated around 600 victory lane visits in his career and won six sprint car championships between 1972 and 1978 at the Lernerville Speedway. In the decades that led to his stardom, he also found his life partner Kate Keir with whom he had two future racers Dave (Ryan Blaney’s father) and Dale Blaney.
Dave took over the sprint car wheel from his father in 1981 and went on to win the 1984 USAC Silver Crown series title. He then turned to the World of Outlaws, where he won several features which led him to his first NASCAR Cup Series start in 1992. Over the years that followed, he won the Chili Bowl Nationals, a World of Outlaws championship, and made his full-time move to NASCAR. Meanwhile, his brother Dale took over the sprint car.
The youngest in the line of speedsters, Ryan Blaney says of his family’s impact on him, “It came from my grandfather to my dad and my uncle. As a kid, I was lucky to see it at a young age. I was fortunate enough to have a shot at racing. As a kid, I wanted to do what dad did. I was with him almost every weekend.”
While in NASCAR, Dave drove for many teams including Bill Davis Racing, Roush Racing, and Richard Childress Racing. His best finish in the Cup Series came in Darlington when he finished 3rd (2003) driving for Jasper Motorsports. Dale, on the other hand, would end up being a 6-time All-Star Circuit of Champions winner and record 11 victories in the World of Outlaws, by the time Ryan entered the NASCAR scene.
The part that Ryan Blaney’s sisters played in his path to NASCAR stardom
Despite this amazing history and gene for speed that the men in the Blaney family gave Ryan, it wasn’t just them who contributed to the defending Cup Series champion’s glory. Taking a share in that are Erin and Emma, his sisters.
