David Blaney (born October 24, 1962 in Hartford Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, United States) is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently starts and parks the #66 Car for Prism Motorsports. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR. For many years, he was a regular in the Syracuse Nationals in Syracuse, New York, although he never won that event. He owns Sharon Speedway (named after nearby Sharon, Pennsylvania) in Hartford, Ohio.
Sprint car racing career
Blaney was awarded the 1983 All-Star Sprint Circuit Rookie-of-the-Year. Blaney won his first World of Outlaws (WoO) race at Tri-City Speedway in 1985 and won the Championship in 1995.<ref name="InsideGroove" /> He also made his NASCAR Winston Cup debut in the #80 Daffron's Body Shop Ford for Hover Motorsports in the 1992 AC Delco 500, finishing 31st. In the 1997 season, he won the Gold Cup, the Eldora Speedway event, and the Knoxville Nationals, which is considered the premiere event in sprint car racing.<ref name="InsideGroove" /> He was the first driver who did not defend his Knoxville win, when he moved into NASCAR. After moving to NASCAR, he kept his sprint car team going, fielding a car for his brother Dale and the late Kevin Gobrecht.
NASCAR career
1998-2004
Blaney began his Busch Series career in 1998 with Bill Davis Racing. He signed to drive a Nationwide Series car for Davis, the #93 Amoco Pontiac and in his first season had three sixth-place finishes and a pole position at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The following season, he ran a full-time schedule and won four poles and ended the season a career-best seventh in points. That season, he returned to the Winston Cup series with Davis, earning a best finish of 23rd at Homestead in the #93.
In 2000, Blaney and his Amoco team moved up to Winston Cup full time and posted two-top tens. He would end up finishing third in the NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award standings for the 2000 season.He would return to the Busch Series in 2000 with a limited schedule in BDR’s #20 AT&T Pontiac, gaining a pole position at Charlotte and also finish 3rd twice. In 2001, the team would switch to Dodge and he would compete in all the races with a best finish of 6th, three times. He left Davis at the end of the season because of sponsorship concerns and signed with the #77 Jasper Motorsports team. His best finish during the 2002 season was a 7th at Phoenix. Blaney started the 2003 season with three top-tens and a pole the first five races, but fell to twenty-eighth in points at the end of the season, forcing his release.
Blaney returned to Bill Davis Racing in 2004 for a limited schedule, because of a lack of sponsorship. Part of his deal was making his Craftsman Truck Series debut for Davis in the #23 truck at Dover, where he finished sixth. After two eleventh-place finishes, Blaney joined Richard Childress Racing, taking over the #30 AOL Chevrolet for eight races. After two top-fifteen finishes, he was replaced by Jeff Burton Blaney would also start one race for Roush Racing in the #99 Canteen Vending/Kraft Foods Ford in the place of rookie Carl Edwards, who missed the start due a Craftsman Truck Series race that ran late. Blaney exited the car on Lap 24, and Edwards went on to finish 37th after a crash. He also ran the spring race at Richmond International Raceway for Ultra Motorsports in the #7 Dodge, and finished fortieth.
2005-Present
Blaney returned to Richard Childress Racing in 2005to drive the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet. During the season he would post two top ten finishes and finished 26th in points. In 2006, he returned to the Bill Davis stable to run the #22 Caterpillar Dodge. His best finish in 2006 came at the Richmond International Raceway, where he finished 4th. He also scored his first Busch Series victory at Lowes Motor Speedway, when Matt Kenseth spun on the last lap and Blaney was in the lead.
In 2007, He failed to qualify for three races and finished thirty-first in points. The following season, he had two top-tens and moved up to thirtieth in points.
For the upcoming season, Blaney has agreed to start and park the #66 automobile for PRISM Motorsports, beginning at California in February. Blaney made his first race at California. He also qualified eighth for the 2009 Food City 500. However, the team is a start and park operation.
2012
Jimmie Johnson's Anything with an Engine (JJAWAE) by Autumn Games will join forces with Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR). The game, available now on all three major home consoles, will adorn Dave Blaney's #36 Jimmie Johnson's Anything with an Engine Chevrolet for the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. (4-11-2012)
Golden Corral will come back on board the Tommy Baldwin Racing #36 Chevy for the superspeedway races this season. Dave Blaney will drive the #36 Golden Corral/Camp Corral Chevrolet this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway as well as at Daytona International Speedway in July and Talladega in October. The Raleigh, N.C., company will once again run the Top-10 Kids Eat Free promotion for all three events. Golden Corral and Camp Corral will adorn the #36 Chevy in the Aaron's 499 this weekend. Golden Corral sponsored the team in 21 events last season. This summer the company will focus on spreading the word about Camp Corral, as well as running the Top-10 Kids Eat Free promotion.(Tommy Baldwin Racing)(5-3-2012)
Indiana Wholesale Offices will team up with Tommy Baldwin Racing this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. The Indiana-based company will be featured on the #36 Golden Corral Chevy driven by Dave Blaney. Indiana Wholesale Offices host wholesale car dealers in the state of Indiana. The Merrillville-based company consults individuals on how to receive a wholesale license that will allow that dealer to operate anywhere in the United States. Indiana Wholesale Offices is a state approved hosting facility that exceeds the state of Indiana's requirements. The company provides entrepreneurs the ability to create a business with low startup costs and monthly overhead. Indiana Wholesale Offices partnered with TBR for last season at Michigan International Speedway and Kansas Speedway.(TBR)(5-4-2012)
References
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