Tuesday night was a great one for area NASCAR fans. Big names in racing made a trip to Sharon Speedway to take part in the Lou Blaney Memorial Classic. Two time Sprint Cup Champion and current points leader Tony Stewart, along with Kasey Kahne and local favorite Dave Blaney, signed autographs for hundreds of fans before hopping into their winged sprint cars for the big race.
Racing fan Kendra Hegedus was lucky enough to get Tony Stewart's autograph. "You can only get one autograph. I got Tony Stewart which is great because he just won at Daytona."
Kevin and Nikia Carbone brought their children to the event. Kevin Carbone said, "Amazing. It's an energy boost." Nikia added, "It's great because it's right in our area and it was nice and all of my children are here and they got to meet all of them. It's just great."
Sprint Cup driver Tony Stewart and New York Modified Ace Jack Johnson added their names to the Sharon Speedway history book as a record-breaking crowd watched the twosome capture the feature events of the inaugural Lou Blaney Memorial Classic.
Stewart, who was coming off of a victory at Daytona just three days ago, had mentioned earlier in the evening that fellow Sprint Cup competitors Kasey Kahne and Dave Blaney had more winged sprint car experience than he did; that certainly changed Tuesday evening as Stewart dominated the second half of the 30-lap feature event to capture his first ever Sharon Speedway victory.
"The first time that I came here and competed against Lou Blaney he kicked my butt and I had the utmost respect for him. This event is very special and I will always have it on my schedule," stated Stewart.
West Virginia youngster Cale Conley and Stewart brought the 24-car field to the green. Conley led the first 11 laps before Stewart took the lead and went on to capture a very popular win.
Conley held on for the runner-up spot. Third generation racer Lee Jacobs captured the third spot with Australian Steven Lines and Dale Blaney rounding out the top five. NASCAR stars Dave Blaney and Kasey Kahne finished sixth and ninth respectively.
All proceeds from the race benefit the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
