Lou Blaney
Lou Blaney started racing in 1958, driving his father’s coupe. He soon was racing Coupes, Super Modifieds, and Sprints, becoming an instant success. Blaney raced super modifieds at the Greater Pittsburgh Speedway in Clinton PA in 1959 and was part of the three car team known as “The Three White Mice”. He started racing Modifieds in 1978 when he acquired his first Modified from Bill and Dick Tobias. Blaney was a winner right out of the box aboard that car. He was still driving Modifieds and Super Sprints until 1981, when his son and NASCAR Nextel Cup star, Dave Blaney, started driving the sprint car. In 1981 he started driving the DIRT Modifieds full-time.
Blaney’s success in the Modifieds is legendary but he is best known as the pilot of the famous number 10 sprint car. In 1973 Blaney won three track championships at three different speedways. The Friday night show at Lernerville, the Saturday night show at Jennerstown and the Sunday night show at Tri-City Speedway.
Blaney recorded over 200 Super Sprint wins from 1961 to 1980. In 1966 driving for Bill Thomas, Blaney won the Williams Grove National Open, which at that time was the premier race for sprint cars in the entire country. Three years later, Blaney won the National Open. His smooth, rim-riding style was the same in his later years as it was when he started in 1958. In his career his amassed over 600 victories. While his championships are nearly countless, he is also known as a gentleman and his sportsmanship.
Lou Blaney passed away on January 25 2009.
Lou Blaney started racing in 1958, driving his father’s coupe. He soon was racing Coupes, Super Modifieds, and Sprints, becoming an instant success. Blaney raced super modifieds at the Greater Pittsburgh Speedway in Clinton PA in 1959 and was part of the three car team known as “The Three White Mice”. He started racing Modifieds in 1978 when he acquired his first Modified from Bill and Dick Tobias. Blaney was a winner right out of the box aboard that car. He was still driving Modifieds and Super Sprints until 1981, when his son and NASCAR Nextel Cup star, Dave Blaney, started driving the sprint car. In 1981 he started driving the DIRT Modifieds full-time.
Blaney’s success in the Modifieds is legendary but he is best known as the pilot of the famous number 10 sprint car. In 1973 Blaney won three track championships at three different speedways. The Friday night show at Lernerville, the Saturday night show at Jennerstown and the Sunday night show at Tri-City Speedway.
Blaney recorded over 200 Super Sprint wins from 1961 to 1980. In 1966 driving for Bill Thomas, Blaney won the Williams Grove National Open, which at that time was the premier race for sprint cars in the entire country. Three years later, Blaney won the National Open. His smooth, rim-riding style was the same in his later years as it was when he started in 1958. In his career his amassed over 600 victories. While his championships are nearly countless, he is also known as a gentleman and his sportsmanship.
Lou Blaney passed away on January 25 2009.
