(Rick Rarer photo)
June 3, 2024 (Columbus, OH)…Prior to spending nearly two decades in the NASCAR ranks, the majority of which came in the top-tier Cup series, Dave Blaney was known around the country for his talents behind the wheel of a sprint car.
He reached the sport’s pinnacle in 1995 when he claimed the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The driver hailing from Concord, NC has also picked up career-defining wins on the sport’s biggest stages; Blaney is a 2-time Kings Royal winner at Eldora Speedway (’93 & ’95), Knoxville Nationals champion at the famed Marion County Fairgrounds (’97), and a winner of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa (’93). Furthermore, the native of Hartford, OH was a 2014 inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame where he is joined by his father (Lou) and brother (Dale). Fast forward nearly 30 years and he has added one more accomplishment to his impressive resume. Dave Blaney is a Western PA Speedweek champion.
The five-race miniseries known as Western PA Speedweek was scheduled to kickoff at Michael’s Mercer Raceway (Mercer, PA) on Wednesday, May 29th, but Mother Nature had other plans in store. An all-day rain event made for an easy, albeit unwelcome, decision by track officials to cancel the opening race.
Western PA Speedweek moved on to the sprawling half-mile oval of Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway (Imperial, PA) for the second leg of the tour. A stout field of 39 ‘410’ sprint cars packed the pit area, setting a then-speedweek record for car count under the current regime. It was invader Dylan Norris from Hanover, PA picking up the $3,500 victory (first career win in his family-owned #17) with Blaney in tow. National Sprint Car Hall of Famers Dale Blaney and Tim Shaffer followed in 3rd & 4th, with ‘410’ sprint car rookie John Jerich completing the Top 5.
Drivers headed back north on Friday to the famed Lernerville Speedway for the cornerstone event of Western PA Speedweek, affectionately dubbed the “Jean Lynch Classic” in honor of one of the most instrumental women in motorsports history. An overwhelming 46 cars filled the pits to set a new speedweek record. The home track hero and seven-time track champion A.J. Flick stole the show, advancing forward from his 10th starting spot to steal the $4,000 victory in the closing laps. Jordan Poirier, a native of Quebec making just his fifth career ‘410’ sprint car start, impressed with a runner up finish in his Lernerville Speedway debut. Tim Shaffer, Dave Blaney and Sye Lynch rounded out the Top 5 under chamber of commerce weather.
Western PA Speedweek drivers then took a quick trip across the state line to Sharon Speedway (Hartford, OH). Just one day after breaking the historical car count record, it was tied at the 3/8-mile oval when another group of 46 drivers prepared for battle. Though the speedway has been reconfigured since Dave Blaney cut his teeth racing at the track back in the 80s and 90s, he is still the fan-favorite anytime that he makes an appearance in front of his hometown fans. After starting the night off quickly by setting the overall fast time in qualifying and winning his heat race, he faced his only setback of the night by drawing the 12th and final pill in the redraw that would line up the evening’s main event. The second place starting Ryan Smith, who has become a yearly fixture on the Western PA Speedweek circuit, pulled away from the field after an early-race battle with Zane DeVault, and was never seriously challenged. The $4,000 victory for the Kunkletown Kid marked his third career speedweek win and first since 2021. Dave Blaney advanced forward ten positions to claim the 2nd spot, with early-race leader DeVault, Dale Blaney, and Logan McCandless completing the Top 5.
The Western PA Speedweek finale was set for Sunday evening at Tri City Raceway Park, however Mother Nature once again intervened and the race had to be called in the late afternoon hours after persistent rain and cloud cover made the track unworkable.
With the final event cancelled, the curtain came down and put a close to the 2024 edition of Western PA Speedweek. Though he was denied of a win in the three contested races, Dave Blaney was the only driver to score three Top 5 finishes on the week which was more than enough to garner himself the most points and claim his first career Western PA Speedweek crown. Beyond his race winnings and awards, Blaney also received the $3,000 winners check for finishing atop the week-long point standings.
Final Western PA Speedweek Point Standings (Top 10)
1. 10-Dave Blaney [132 pts] – $3,000
2. 32B-Dale Blaney [112 pts] – $2,500
3. 2-A.J. Flick [111 pts] – $2,000
4. 49X-Tim Shaffer [108 pts] – $1,500
t5. M1-Mark Smith [99 pts] – $950
t5. 4-Zane DeVault [99 pts] – $950
7. 17-Dylan Norris [91 pts] – $800
8. 6-Ryan Smith [90 pts] – $700
9. 5K-Adam Kekich [83 pts] – $600
10. 28-Jordan Poirier [80 pts] – $500
Full results for Western PA Speedweek can be found HERE.
Full point standings for Western PA Speedweek can be found HERE.
Western PA Speedweek was brought to you by Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants together with J.S. Bova Excavating along with the support of Bill McCandless Ford, Bowl-O-Drome Family Bowling Center, Classic Ink USA, Hobaugh’s Auto Parts, Kistler Racing Products, The Knox Bakery, Lockhart Raceway, McClung Auto Body, Mobile Bail Bonds, Rustler Sales & Service, Superior Interiors Dustless Hardwood Refinishing, Rod Squad Fishing Charters, Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic, The Dirt Network, Fox’s Pizza Den of Mercer, 724 Media, and the A-Main Podcast.
Western PA Sprint Speedweek 
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