Former NASCAR driver Dave Blaney, father of Sprint Cup rookie Ryan Blaney, was released from an Ohio hospital late Friday night after crashing during qualifying at Eldora Speedway, his team reported.
Blaney was competing with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series in Rossburg, Ohio, at the half-mile dirt track owned by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.
Blaney hit the Turn 1 wall and flipped multiple times. The car landed in Turn 2. He was taken by ground to a local hospital and was awake and alert, according to a track spokesperson. A LifeFlight helicopter was on site but wasn’t needed to transport Blaney to a local hospital.
Blaney’s daughter, Emma, provided an update Friday night on Twitter:
Thank you for all the prayers. My dad is one tough guy. He is a little sore but going to be okay 👍🏼 probably already watching dirtvision
— Emma Conley (@EmmabConley) May 7, 2016
We are at the hospital.@BuckeyeBullet10 CT scan good, no breaks or fractures.He is sitting up.Sore.Will be admitted overnite for observation
— Motter Motorsports (@motterms) May 7, 2016
Dad is alright, got his bell rung pretty good but is up and being himself. Thanks for all the support.
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) May 7, 2016
Blaney, 53, competed in 473 Sprint Cup races from 1992-2014. He ran 121 Xfinity races from 1998-2009 and three Camping World Truck Races between 2004-13.
He drove sprint cars before moving to NASCAR. Blaney won the 1995 World of Outlaws championship and was named that year’s sprint car driver of the year. He won the Knoxville Nationals, the Historical Big One and the King’s Royal in 1995. He was series runner-up in the World of Outlaws in 1993, ’94, ’96 and ’97.