9/27/2025
Sharon Speedway
DALE BLANEY BECOMES THE OLDEST WINNER IN WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR HISTORY AT 61 THRILLING THE HOMETOWN CROWD WITH HIS $12,000 VICTORY AT SHARON
By Mike Leone
September 27, 2025
(Hartford, OH)...Sharon Speedway brought down the curtain on the 96th anniversary season on Saturday night ending the first year of the new ownership group of Dave Blaney, Ryan Blaney, and Will Thomas III on a successful note. After losing the last two scheduled appearances by the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars to Mother Nature, beautiful weather prevailed as a standing-room-only crowd turned out for the Federated Auto Parts Showdown. Celebrating in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Victory Lane were Dale Blaney (World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars) and Josh McDonald (Alcon Mechanical Econo Mods). Seventy-four cars were on hand for the two-division program.
The last time Dale Blaney stood in victory lane with the World of Outlaws was more than 10 years ago at Lernerville Speedway. On Saturday night, Blaney returned to prominence with "The Greatest Show Dirt" becoming the oldest winner in Series history at 61 years 7 months and 28 days! Ironically, Blaney broke the previous record set by his older brother Dave when he won at 58 years of age in 2021 at Sharon, and accomplished the feat at the very same track in Dave's famous red #10 Sprint Car! Blaney started fifth and passed Cole Macedo on lap 11 for the lead then held off a furious last lap charge by Buddy Kofoid to win by just 0.136 seconds for the $12,000 payday!
“I had the feeling that I was never going to win an Outlaw race ever again,” stated the Hartford, Ohio fan favorite. “I don’t race much. This is our sixth race this year. I haven’t run in seven weeks. The car was awesome. We just got it back together this week. I don’t know what to say. It’s great and cool to win this at Sharon Speedway- it's the only place I’ve run this year. We’d love to get this car to a couple different places and see what it does. This is a special freaking night. I know that."
“There’re so many good young race car drivers out here, but to win a race at 61 (years old) is awesome," expressed Blaney. "The racetrack had to be a certain way. It was a little slicker and slower, but I’m pretty good when it gets like that. My car is excellent when it gets like that. Starting fifth, I didn’t know if I could pass those guys, but I knew where I wanted to run, and we made it work.”
World of Outlaws rookie Cole Macedo raced into the early lead at the start of the 30-lap feature over Kofoid, while Blaney advanced two spots on the opening lap into third ahead of David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild. Blaney keep peeking under Kofoid, but was unable to make the pass for second. Macedo caught lapped traffic on lap seven, while Kofoid and Blaney ran side-by-side with Blaney nosing ahead for the runner-up spot.
By lap nine, it was a three-car race for the lead with Macedo leading Blaney and Kofoid. On lap 11, Blaney ducked under Macedo in turn two and completed the pass down the backstretch for what would be the winning pass; Kofoid then followed driving around Macedo for second. Haudenschild and Macedo then waged war trading the third spot back and forth numerous times before Haudenschild took over for good on lap 17.
Trey Jacobs made heavy contact with the turn two fence, which brought out the caution with 24 laps completed. On the ensuing restart, apparent damage from the contact sent Jacobs back into fence and upside down ending just his fifth career Sharon start. He was okay. Those would be the only stoppages of the event as the final six-lap dash went green-to-checkered.
When racing resumed, Blaney took off with Kofoid in pursuit. Blaney kept a comfortable margin as the laps ticked off, but caught lapped traffic on the final lap. Blaney went to the outside of traffic in turn four and survived the big charge by Kofoid to nip the 23-year-old California racer in a near photo finish for his third “410” victory of the season at Sharon aboard the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation-sponsored #10. Blaney's 23rd victory of his career at Sharon was his first in WoO competition as he became the 10th different winner in 15 races run all-time with the Series. It was also Blaney's 12th win of his career with the World of Outlaws.
“I wanted traffic," revealed Kofoid after his runner-up finish. "My car is usually amazing in traffic. He slipped up, and then I kind of got in his air and got me slipped up. When I got to the cushion, it straightened me out. I think a lapper moved in his lane into (Turn) 3, and then he moved up, and then I got there and hit the wall too many times and couldn’t get all the way to his outside to block him out. And then I hit the wall coming to the checkered, and it shot me down the track. I tried to send it and was close. I’m just happy for Dale and Dave.”
Haudenschild, who has two career Sharon victories but none with WoO, was third. “Congrats to them- that’s truly pretty awesome,” Haudenschild said of the Blaney brothers. “Hats off to my guys too. (Kyle) Ripper busted his butt all night. We built a new car and worked on brakes all night. Ripper, Luke (Vaughn), and Jayce (Wallick) put the work in. Happy with this third place for this NOS Energy, West Tennessee Expediting car. We’ll just keep rolling here.”
David Gravel, who continues to lead the WoO points in search of his second straight title, was a quiet fourth after passing Macedo on lap 28. Logan Schuchart also got by Macedo on lap 28 for fifth. After leading the first 10 laps in search of his first career WoO win, Macedo dropped to sixth at the finish beating out his older brother Carson. Canadian Ryan Turner was an impressive eighth in just his second career Sharon start. Donny Schatz went 16th to 9th. Bill Balog was 10th. Bryce Lucius, who has five wins in Ohio this season, was 11th in his Sharon debut for the top Ohio full-time racer.
Cole Macedo set fast time over the 55-car field in qualifying with a lap of 14.642. Heat winners were Gravel, Kofoid, Blaney, and Haudenschild, while Kasey Jedrzejek won the non-qualifier. Derek Hauck was victorious in the C main, while local Dan Kuriger won the B main. Cole Macedo was the dash winner to earn the pole for the feature.
Raceway 7 promoter Josh McDonald captured his first career Sharon victory leading wire-to-wire in the 20-lap Alcon Mechanical Econo Mod feature. McDonald fended off the division's all-time winner, Jeremy Double, over the final 15 laps to earn the $800 victory as he became the fifth different winner in eight races this season.
"I had a clear track until the last couple laps in lapped traffic and didn't know how close second was so it was a challenge," described the 40-year-old Cranesville, Pa. racer. "I knew those lapped cars were going to come into play and if I didn't make a clear move, second and third place were going to be right on me. It worked out. The last time I was here I didn't have the greatest luck and made one lap so it's good to bring this old car out and show it a win. I have to thank my dad, sponsors, pit crew, my wife that's at home along with Dave Willoughby for putting on a great show- he does great on the track work here as it's been phenomenal."
McDonald used the outside to take the early lead over Mod Lite graduate Shayne Meadows. After a caution with four laps completed for Buzz Seitz, the final 16 went green-to-checkered. Double overtook Meadows for runner-up when racing resumed on lap five. Double was right on McDonald on lap six, but McDonald ran a perfect race including a three-wide move in lapped traffic late to secure the victory by 1.436 seconds in his McDonald Sand & Gravel/Knorr Electric/Beacon Lubricants/Wedge Motorsports-sponsored #37. McDonald became the third driver this season to win his first of his career in the division and the 40th all-time in 173 races run since the division debuted in 2010.
Bryan Wagner matched his season's best third from opening night after starting seventh. After finishing sixth in the event two years ago, Ken Schrader did two spots better in fourth after starting 10th to earn the $100 Summit Racing Equipment Hard Charger gift card. Meadows dropped to fifth in his Econo Mod debut. Coleton Longwell, who won three this season in addition to a Crown Vic victory, struggled on Saturday night and finished sixth. Clay Ruffo was seventh beating Dennis Lunger, Jr. by 0.433 seconds to earn the $100 Performance Bodies "Nosed Out" gift card. Jonathan Davis was ninth over Brian Lacey Heat winners were Ruffo and Longwell.
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars (30 laps, $12,000 to-win): 1. 10-DALE BLANEY[5]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[2]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 4. 2-David Gravel[3]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart[6]; 6. 2C-Cole Macedo[1]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo[9]; 8. 15T-Ryan Turner[7]; 9. 15-Donny Schatz[16]; 10. 17B-Bill Balog[8]; 11. 32-Bryce Lucius[10]; 12. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[13]; 13. W20-Greg Wilson[19]; 14. 38-Leyton Wagner[14]; 15. 49X-Cale Thomas[12]; 16. 15S-Kerry Madsen[18]; 17. 18-Emerson Axsom[25]; 18. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[23]; 19. 99-Skylar Gee[17]; 20. 98-Ricky Peterson[11]; 21. 28M-Conner Morrell[26]; 22. 23-Garet Williamson[24]; 23. 33W-Cap Henry[20]; 24. 3JJ-Trey Jacobs[15]; 25. 11-Carl Bowser[22]; 26. O8-Danny Kuriger[21].
DNQ for the feature: 7S-Chris Windom, 6-Zach Hampton, 6D-Ryan Smith, 13-Brandon Matus, 15K-Creed Kemenah, 11N-Kasey Jedrzejek, 12J-Derek Hauck, 2F-AJ Flick, 35-Jason Shultz, 29-Logan McCandless, 17GP-Tim Shaffer, 15C-Chris Andrews, 46-Michael Bauer, 33-Brent Matus, 3-John Jerich, 16-Jim Morris, 17R-Tylar Rankin, 99N-Cameron Nastasi, 3J-Jacob Begenwald, 6F-Bob Felmlee, 5K-Adam Kekich, G5-Gage Pulkrabek, 81-Rayce Jacobs, 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer, 3V-Chris Verda, 5-Jeremy Weaver, 47L-Dusty Larson, 32B-Brandon Spithaler, M4-Louie Mattes.
Alcon Mechanical Econo Mods (20 laps, $800 to-win): 1. 37-JOSH MCDONALD[2]; 2. 83-Jeremy Double[3]; 3. 56-Bryan Wagner[7]; 4. 9S-Ken Schrader[10]; 5. 224-Shayne Meadows[1]; 6. 7-Coleton Longwell[5]; 7. 40R-Clay Ruffo[6]; 8. 71L-Dennis Lunger Jr[8]; 9. 8-Jonathan Davis[12]; 10. 51-Brian Lacey[9]; 11. 02C-Brian Carothers[16]; 12. 71A-Don Watson[11]; 13. 31-Seth Brenot[19]; 14. 700-Buzz Seitz[17]; 15. 16C-Amelia Clay[18]; 16. 27K-Gerry Kielar[15]; 17. 79-John Shetler[13]; 18. 89C-Travis Carothers[4]; 19. 44R-Bobby Robinson[14].
Sharon Speedway is owned by the Dave Blaney, Ryan Blaney, and Will Thomas III and is a 3/8-mile dirt track located on Custer-Orangeville Road in Hartford, Ohio near the intersection of Routes 7 & 305. For more information, check out the website at www.sharonspeedway.com or call 330-772-5481. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharonspeedway and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @sharonspdwy.
Article Credit: Mike Leone
