🇺🇸 Dave Blaney

Dave Blaney was a professional stock car driver who raced in NASCAR's national series from 1998 to 2013. He competed primarily in the Xfinity Series for NEMCO Motorsports, with the majority of his starts on oval tracks; he also made one Truck Series appearance for Brad Keselowski Racing in 2013. His career comprised 122 starts across both series, yielding one win and eleven podium finishes.[1]

Blaney's most substantial tenure came in the Xfinity Series, where he made 121 starts over a twelve-season span beginning in 1998. He scored his sole victory within that series and accumulated ten of his eleven career podiums there. His final indexed season came in 2009, when he competed in four rounds and took one podium finish, ending the season 28th in the championship standings. Throughout his Xfinity career he raced regularly against established professionals including Matt Kenseth, whom he usually finished behind, and remained closely matched with fellow professional Jason Keller across multiple seasons.[2]

Blaney's record included finishes ahead of drivers of considerably higher standing; he beat elite professional Denny Hamlin on ten occasions, and finished ahead of his son Ryan Blaney once. Ryan Blaney would go on to become the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, a title won years after his father's final indexed race. Before his NASCAR career, Blaney was a successful sprint car driver and became known as "the Buckeye Bullet"; he later became an owner, acquiring Sharon Speedway in Ohio.