'Has a Close Place in My Heart': Ryan Blaney Breaks Down Latest Ownership Move Away from NASCAR

Ryan Blaney is a traditional kind of guy. He appreciates the history of all forms of racing, not just NASCAR but also short track and sprint car racing.

So it’s no surprise that Blaney has joined his father as a partner in the fabled Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. The 3/8-mile clay oval is one of the most renowned tracks in the dirt track and sprint car world.

While Blaney isn’t following in his father, Dave, or grandfather Lou’s footsteps driving in the sprint car world, Sharon Speedway has always held a place close to his heart and was a venue where he spent many a day and night growing up.

“Yeah, we’re really excited that we finally got it done and put it out there,” Blaney told Racing America. “Dad’s owned that place since I think ‘O2, been part-owner in it, and he was a one-third owner with two guys that he kind of grew up with in that area that knew my family really well, they knew my grandfather.

“It was just kind of getting time where they wanted to step away (from ownership). When Dad told me about the opportunity a couple months ago, I just was over the moon. I couldn’t wait to get in there and become part-owner with Dad.

“It was just an opportunity that I couldn’t let pass up. It’s really neat to be partners with Dad and another great guy who’s in it too, Will Thomas, who Dad grew up with in the area.”

Sharon Speedway, located just inside the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, is one of the oldest still-operational tracks in the country, having first opened in 1929.

It’s played host to several racing series, including World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models, All Star Circuit of Champions, Super DIRTcar Series, and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series over the last 23 seasons.

In fact, Blaney won his 40^th career win at Sharon a few years back, which was also his last career triumph in a dirt sprint car.

Sharon Speedway Is All About Family And Tradition

It’s a family tradition and a place that is part of the Blaney family’s DNA.

“It’s just family ties,” Blaney said. “I grew up around that place, my dad and uncle, and grandparents grew up five miles down the road from Sharon. It just means a lot.”

The younger Blaney literally spent years not just growing up around the facility but also working most of the rungs of the employee ladder, learning the business.

“I remember I used to sell programs and would answer phones for ticket sales, even though I didn’t know what I was doing,” Blaney laughed. “I’d just hand the phone off to my mom like, ‘Someone wants to buy tickets.’ I always wanted to answer the phone, and just trying to keep short track racing healthy.

“So now it turns to, ‘Okay, what can we do now? What’s the next steps for this place? How can we make the fan experience even better? How can we make the racing side for the locals who come out and the bigger shows even better? Whether that’s raising purses, trying to get a little bit more activities to do around the racetrack for fans.

“So it’s fun, it’s cool. I would never own any other speedway than (Sharon) just because Sharon has a close place in my heart and it’s going to be a fun adventure with my dad,” he concluded.