Dave Blaney Hopes for a Repeat of Fast Start in Sprint Car Races

Dave Blaney, who gave up basketball for driving a race car, hopes the start of the 1991 World of Outlaws sprint car season next weekend at Yuma, Ariz., and El Centro will be as good to him as last year’s opening weekend.

Blaney, of Courtland, Ohio, finished sixth in money won with the Outlaws last year at $149,335. He won the preliminary feature at Bakersfield in 1990 and then came south to win the final Midwinter Championships at Ascot Park in Gardena.

Starting the campaign at Yuma on Friday night before racing at El Centro the following evening, Blaney will again be competing for Cary Agajanian, head of the team that promoted at Ascot, and Ben Foote, Ascot’s former executive vice president.

Driving for Verlin Chupp again this year, Blaney, who was an all-state high school player, decided to follow his father Dave Blaney into sprint car racing and won the U.S. Auto Club Silver Crown series his rookie season.

The man Blaney will have to beat to realize his goal is Steve Kinser of Bloomington, Ind., who has won the World of Outlaw championship in 10 of the 13 years the group has been going. Other veterans expected to compete are Kinser’s cousin, Mark, Joe Gaerte, Bobby Davis Jr., Stevie Smith, Keith Kauffman and Johnny Herrera.

Leading California-Arizona entrants are Lealand McSpadden of Tempe, Ariz., and Brent Kaeding of Campbell, Calif., the California state champion.