Ryan Blaney and Will Thomas III join Dave Blaney as new ownership team at Sharon Speedway

Sharon Speedway PR

As Sharon Speedway continues to gear up for its 96th anniversary season, a new ownership team will be in effect for the May 10 opener at the oldest continuously operated family-owned dirt track in the country. Dave Blaney will remain as one of the three partners and will be joined by his son and current NASCAR Cup Series star Ryan Blaney along with area businessman and racer Will Thomas III. Dave Willoughby will remain as general manager for what will be his 16th year in that role.

In 2002, NASCAR Cup driver Dave Blaney along with area businessmen Jim Weller, Sr. of Liberty Steel Industries and Bill and Ron Kirila of Kirila Contractors, purchased Sharon Speedway. Extensive renovations and upgrades were made to the facility and the track was shortened to its current 3/8-mile clay configuration. The track was successfully operated by the trio for the next 23 years. Bill Kirila passed away in 2006. This year on January 17, Weller, Sr. passed away at the age of 94, and most recently, Ron Kirila passed away on April 24 at the age of 86.

National series such as the 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 all visited Sharon Speedway in addition to SRX, which was televised live on CBS in front of a sellout crowd. Numerous NASCAR racers have made appearances and have competed such as both Ryan and Dave Blaney along with Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, and many others. In the early years, events were broadcast on local TV and more recently worldwide live through DIRTVision on a weekly basis. In 2017, an all-new red clay surface greeted racers and in 2020 the region’s only infield fan zone was created.

Dave Blaney will be beginning his 24th year of ownership at Sharon – a track that he grew up racing at and with which he shares his hometown of Hartford, Ohio. The 62-year-old is a former champion of the World of Outlaws and USAC and was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2014. Blaney owns 95 WoO wins and 48 with the All Star Circuit of Champions. He’s won the Knoxville Nationals, Kings Royal, and the Chili Bowl Nationals. At Sharon alone, Blaney has 40 career wins including 38 in a “410” Sprint Car and two in a Big-Block Modified. Blaney has also competed in nearly 600 NASCAR events between Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks with 62 top 10 finishes and nine pole positions.

Ryan Blaney, the grandson of the late Lou Blaney, who has at least 121 Modified wins and another 11 documented in a Sprint Car at Sharon alone, will join his father as a partner in his foray into promoting and track ownership. Blaney’s day job is driving the #12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 31-year-old, who is the youngest of the storied Blaney Family of racers, was the 2023 NASCAR Cup Champion and runner-up in the championship in 2024. After a successful Late Model career on asphalt, Blaney took his talents to ARCA in 2011 and eventually into NASCAR’s top three Series. Blaney owns 13 career Cup wins, seven in the Xfinity Series, and another three in the Truck Series.

Rounding out the new ownership team at Sharon is Will Thomas III of nearby Sharpsville, Pa. The 49-year-old is the owner of Colonial Metal Products and Colonial Slitting Industries. Thomas is the son of the late Bill Thomas, who successfully owned both Sprint Cars and Modifieds driven by Lou Blaney. Thomas has been a well accomplished racer throughout his career beginning on asphalt and then transitioning to dirt in 2011. Since then he’s been successful in RUSH Late Models, Pro Stocks and various classes of Modifieds including UMP, Econo, RUSH Sportsman and most recently in the Big-Block division in which he currently competes. Thomas has 30 wins at Sharon in five different divisions.

The 2025 season at Sharon Speedway will get underway on Saturday, May 10 in a “Super Series” event presented by Bala Management. The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply “410” Sprint Cars will highlight the program in a $4,000 to-win event along with the Gibson Insurance Agency Pro Stocks and the Alcon Mechanical Econo Mods. Pits open at 4 p.m. with general admission at 5 and racing at 7.

Major events scheduled in 2025 include the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars on May 24 and September 27, the World of Outlaws Late Models on July 11-12, the “Lou Blaney Memorial” for “410” Sprint Cars and BRP Modified Tour on August 3, and the Super DIRTcar Series for the Big-Block Modifieds on Monday, August 11 that will also include the “410” Sprint Cars.