HARTFORD, Ohio — NASCAR stars Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne were on hand Wednesday night at Sharon Speedway for the second annual Lou Blaney Memorial. Stewart and Kahne joined fellow NASCAR driver Dave Blaney and his brother Dale to help honor their father, one of the region's greatest drivers.
Dave Blaney is the primary owner of Sharon Speedway, so it was not hard to get some of his buddies join fans in honoring his father. Stewart, Kahne and Blaney strapped themselves into Sprint Cars for a 30-lap feature. Mike Lutz stole the show with a great drive and led all 30 laps; Timmy Shaffer finished second, followed by Brian Ellenberger, Ed Lynch Jr. and Stewart.
Stewart made it quite clear that he was not at the track to talk NASCAR; he was there to race and honor Blaney's memory.
"I like running Sprint Cars with wings because it is just not something I did a lot of when I was starting out," Stewart said. "It's different. You really can't take anything from asphalt to dirt. They are both fun to do, but dirt is just fun in a different way."
Stewart owns Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio — another must-race for NASCAR stars, Kahne included.
"I had never been in a late model until Tony had his race out there at Eldora, and I really liked that," said Kahne, who finished seventh. "It was tough because I hadn't done it. I definitely like the challenge of a winged Sprint Car, but it comes down to I really just like racing on dirt."
For Dave Blaney, the 1995 World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion, the lure of NASCAR was too great to resist, but he is still drawn to dirt racing, the surface on which his family has been so successful. This year, he will run 10 races on dirt.
"If I can't really get anything good going in NASCAR, then that is the obvious thing to do," he said. "I'm still at an age where I think I can do well. This summer we will decide what we are going to do. I don't regret going to NASCAR. I haven't had what I would call a successful career in NASCAR, but there are so many guys who would have loved the shot I got."
