Dave Blaney to leave NASCAR racing to son Ryan, but will increase dirt racing schedule in 2015

By Nov 8, 2014, 5:17 PM EST
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It appears Dave Blaney will leave any NASCAR racing in the future to son Ryan.

According to an interview with PennLive.com, the elder Blaney – who is competing in this weekend’s World Of Outlaws World Finals in Charlotte – appears ready to return to his sprint car racing roots on a fairly busy part-time level in 2015.

“I don’t plan on running any NASCAR at the moment,” Blaney told PennLive.com.

Blaney’s decision is not surprising. It’s a matter of economics (lack of financial support) and performance (lack of a competitive ride).

“I’m not in any position to get any kind of ride that is going to be competitive,” the elder Blaney said.

But he’ll still be a familiar face at NASCAR races when he can.

“I will go to a lot of races to watch Ryan,” Dave Blaney said.

Dave Blaney plns to compete in as many as 50 to 60 sprint car races in 2015, which is nearly double of a NASCAR Sprint Cup or Nationwide (soon to be Xfinity) Series yearly slate.

“By no means will [sprint cars] be full time, but it could be a lot more than this year,” said Blaney, who will have competed in 25 races this season vs. just seven in the NASCAR Sprint Cup world. “I could even see a 60-race schedule if things line up perfect.”

But, Blaney also added the exact opposite could happen, too: “I could also see 15 (races) as well, but we will see.”

Inducted into the Sprint Car Hall of Fame earlier this year, Blaney, 52, said the time is right for him to back to playing in the dirt on a regular basis, so to speak. However, he has had his struggles at times in several of the sprint car events he’s competed in this season.

“It’s just the way it is when you haven’t done it much in the last 15 years,” Blaney told PennLive. “… But I love being around these things, driving the cars, working on them and being a part of these races.”

Before his career path led him to NASCAR nearly 15 years ago, Blaney was a sprint car standout, including winning the WoO STP Sprint Car Series championship in 1995 and the USAC Silver Crown title in 1984, one season after being chosen All-Star Sprint Circuit Rookie-of-the-Year.

Right now, Blaney’s expectations for 2015 on the dirt are pretty fluid.

“I’m going to fart around and see how it goes,” Blaney said. “It’s tough racing these things when you are part time. You just aren’t as good.

“Maybe I would be better off going full time. We would get more out of the car and out of me, but I’m not too worried about it. We’ll see what happens.”

Another part has to do with watching Ryan, who races for Penske Racing.

“I don’t want to go off and race [sprint cars] and not be with him,” Blaney said. “I want to be there and be a part of it.”

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Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).