Story By: MIKE LEONE / SHARON SPEEDWAY – HARTFORD, OH – After a weekend off following the first “Wednesday Night Thunder” program, Sharon Speedway is ready to roar back into action this Saturday night (July 8) for one the biggest events on the 94th anniversary season schedule.
The 15th annual “Lou Blaney Memorial” presented by Ryan Blaney Family Foundation and Bala Management will feature the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars and the BRP Tour for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Big-Block Modifieds. Warmups will begin at 6:30 with qualifying at 7 followed by racing.
The “Lou Blaney Memorial” will celebrate the life and accomplishments of the Hall of Fame driver, who won more than 600 feature victories during a five-decade career. The legend has at least 121 Modified wins and another 11 documented in a Sprint Car at Sharon alone. Blaney passed away in 2009 after battling Alzheimer’s.
A silent auction will take place from 3-9 p.m. and will be available to people at the track and those at home through a site called Click Bid at the following link: https://cbo.io/bidapp/index.php?slug=lbm. There will also be a gift auction for those in attendance. Be sure to stop by the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation tent to pick up a 2023 Lou Blaney Memorial t-shirt. Proceeds from the above as well as any other donations will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Lou Blaney. From 4:30-6 p.m. at the pavilion, there will be a “Blaney Bunch Meet Up” for the Blaney Bunch Fan Club. All activities will take place in the Fan Zone located behind the main grandstands.
For the ninth straight year, the “Lou Blaney Memorial” will be under the All Stars’ sanction. This year’s event will pay $10,000 to-win, $700 to-start! It took 10 years, but there was finally a repeat winner for the Sprint Car portion of the “Lou Blaney Memorial” in 2018, and it was none other than track owner, Dave Blaney. In 2019, Dave’s younger brother Dale captured his first event, while in 2020 year it was Dave’s son-in-law, Cale Conley, winning his first!
Series owner, Tony Stewart, won the inaugural event in 2009. Mike Lutz was the first local winner taking the 2010 version. Texan Sam Hafertepe, Jr. won in 2011, while four-time World of Outlaws Champion, Brad Sweet, was victorious in 2012. Jack Sodeman, Jr. became the second local driver to win the prestigious event in 2013, while Dave Blaney won his father’s memorial for the first time in 2014. Another WoO racer in Sheldon Haudenschild won the 2015 event. Pittsburgh’s Danny Holtgraver won the biggest race of his career in 2016. Christopher Bell, who has went on to NASCAR glory, won his first race at the track in 2017. Spencer Bayston became a new winner in 2021 before joining the World of Outlaws. Ohio standout Cap Henry etched his name in the history books by becoming the 13th different winner in 14 years!
The “410” Sprint Cars have competed four times this season at Sharon with car counts of 30+ at each event. Dave Blaney won the May 13 opener then backed that up by winning another $3,000 in his next appearance on June 3 for the Western PA Speedweek event for his 36th career Sharon “410” victory . In between, Donny Schatz won his first Sharon “410” race when the World of Outlaws visited on May 20 for $10,000. And most recently, Dale Blaney topped a season high 37-car field on June 28 in the $4,000 “Wednesday Night Thunder” show.
After being rained out for the Ohio Speedweek event on June 13, Saturday’s appearance by the All Stars will be their first and only stop at the Hartford, Ohio red clay oval in 2023; however, will mark the 114th all-time visit by “America’s Series”. Defending and two-time Series champion, Tyler Courtney, leads the points heading into the weekend. The All Stars roster also includes Zeb Wise, Kerry Madsen, Chris Windom, Tim Shaffer, J.J. Hickle, Sye Lynch, Conner Morrell along with the Pete Grove #70 with a driver to be announced.
The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Big-Block Modifieds will make their second appearance of the 2023 season on Saturday night in a $2,500 to-win BRP Tour event. There have been 11 different winners in 14 “Lou Blaney Memorial” Modified events!
New York legend Jack Johnson captured the inaugural 2009 race, while local Ohio drivers Jim Rasey and Rob Kristyak stole the thunder in 2010 and 2011. Kevin Bolland won the prestigious event in 2012 and fellow western Pa. racer Dave Murdick joined him in 2013. In 2014, Rex King, Jr. won the event part of his dream season, while in 2015 Jim Weller, Jr. added his name to the win list. Rasey became the first repeat winner in 2016. Jeremiah Shingledecker got his first event win in 2017, while New York’s Mike Maresca ended the locals’ run of eight straight event wins thanks to his victory in 2019. Five years after his first win, King, Jr. added his second event win in 2019. Erick Rudolph and Chad Brachmann became the third and fourth Empire State racer to be victorious in the event in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Rudolph became the event’s third repeat winner by capturing last year’s event.
The BRP Tour has completed three events this season with three different winners including Garrett Krummert, Rex King, Jr., and Rudolph. Rudolph, a three-time Series Champion, currently leads the points by seven over Krummert. Chas Wolbert, King, and Trevor Wright complete the top five in points.
The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Big-Block Modifieds recently competed on June 17 as Krummert topped a 20-car field ending an eight-year winless drought in the division. Summit Racing Equipment will present the hard charger award on Friday night to the Big-Block Modifieds. The driver that passes the most cars in those feature events will each receive a $100 Summit gift card. In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker will be the driver that finishes highest in the feature.
Fans can not only experience viewing from the frontstretch and backstretch grandstands, but also from the infield fan zone. The fan zone, which includes a concession and restrooms, debuted in 2020. Sharon is the only track in the area to have viewing from the unique infield perspective. There will be times throughout the night when fans can cross on the frontstretch back and forth.
The pits will be open throughout the afternoon with passes going on sale at 3 p.m. General admission will also open early at 3 p.m. The All Stars drivers meeting will be at 5:45 p.m. with motor heat at 6:10 p.m. All Star warm-ups are slated for approximately 6:30 with qualifying at 7 followed by Modified warm-ups and heat race action.
Grandstand/fan zone admission for those 14 and over is $30. Children under 14 and parking are FREE. Advanced general admission and reserved tickets are on sale by visiting https://sharonspeedway.simpletix.com/. Pit passes are $40. Camping is $25; permits must be obtained through the above ticket link. Camping opens at 5 p.m. on Thursday. As a reminder, coolers nor outside food or beverages are not permitted.
The next event at Sharon Speedway will be on Saturday, July 15 as the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Big-Block Modifieds will headline the “Steel Valley Thunder” program racing for $1,500 to-win. They will be joined by the Terry Bowser Excavating RUSH Sprint Cars, Gibson Insurance Agency Pro Stocks, and the HTMA/Precise Racing Products RUSH Sportsman Modifieds.