Ryan Blaney has honored his father’s final race with a heartfelt tribute, celebrating a strong chapter in NASCAR history. Dave Blaney, known for his illustrious career on dirt tracks and as a former NASCAR driver, recently clinched his final victory at the Lou Blaney Memorial held at Sharon Speedway.
This race, named in honor of his father, Lou Blaney, marked a big moment for the driver as he announced his retirement from racing following the win.
Dave Blaney’s racing career has been storied and long, spanning decades, with particular success in Sprint Car racing. This latest victory is his third at the Lou Blaney Memorial, a race that holds deep personal significance given its nature. Known as the “Buckeye Bullet,” Dave leaves behind a legacy that has earned him a place in the Hall of Fame for Sprint Car racing.
Ryan Blaney, Dave’s son and a current driver in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, shared that his father had prepared him for this moment.
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“He told me like, ‘Well, if I win this one, I’m done.’ You know, that’s the only race he cares about winning nowadays is his dad’s race,” said Ryan (below).
Ryan Blaney knew if his dad, Dave Blaney, won the Lou Blaney Memorial race (Lou was Dave’s dad) that Dave would retire. And that is exactly what Dave did earlier this week in winning the race at Sharon Speedway. Ryan reacts to his dad’s retirement: pic.twitter.com/eMRneA7zJq
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 29, 2024
Ryan described the moment as bittersweet.
“So that was special for him to go out on top like that,” he reflected. “Yeah, it was bittersweet when he told me, I was like, ‘Well, I hope obviously you win because you care about that thing so much. But it’s like, man I don’t want you to stop racing.’ But at the end of the day it’s his decision.”
The heartfelt sentiments stem from decades of shared experiences and the recognition of Dave’s unparalleled commitment to racing.
“He’s been doing it for so many years, decades and decades. It’s going to be odd not seeing him race or kind of hearing updates of how it’s going or where you going next year.
“Even though he only ran ten, fifteen times this year, last few years,” Ryan noted.
Looking ahead, Ryan intends to preserve his father’s legacy in a tangible manner.
“So, yeah, just a little bittersweet but it’s nice that he went out on top in a meaningful race to him that means a lot to our family. Excited to keep that car of his, put it in his shop somewhere and sit on it.
“Looking forward to hopefully putting it in a shop of my own one day and have a collection of some of his cars. He never kept cars, growing up. That was his one regret that he said, he’s like, ‘I wish I had kept cars.’
“But at the time you’re trying to figure out the next step,” Ryan ended.
