There are a number of different ways to get into NASCAR Winston Cup racing. Each avenue has its merits and, of course, its detractions.
Using Indy car-style racing, much like Tony Stewart did, offers solid pavement experience and even some familiarity of the actual tracks. The downside is unlearning how to drive a much lighter car with an almost totally alien feel, driveability, and power-to-weight ratio. Coming in via stock cars is a little more on target. There's NASCAR Busch Grand National, Craftsman Trucks, and ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series. With these, the basic Winston Cup package is not all that far away, and the "un-learning" a driver is faced with is minimal. When broken down even further, Busch cars have a smaller wheelbase and engine, while Craftsman trucks have a longer wheelbase. Busch cars also run the most Winston Cup tracks. ARCA cars, with their current rules, are the most direct equipment route, as their cars are now clones to Winston Cup hardware. The only disadvantage is that about half of the Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series schedule is on non-NASCAR tracks. Even local Late Models, both pavement and dirt, can offer input in a driver's career if he or she has Winston Cup racing in his or her future.
So of all the oval track cars in America today, which is the most removed from the big leagues of Winston Cup? That would have to be World of Outlaws (WoO) sprint cars. They weigh much less and are half the size of Cup cars. Almost all their races are run on dirt surfaces, and their gigantic wings on top of the rollcage create tremendous downforce that loads and unloads at a rate that dictates driver concentration or he/she could literally end up "out of the park." Massive power comes from a direct-drive powertrain that has no gear changes, much less a clutch.
And the kicker? If a Winston Cup car spent a fraction of the time an Outlaw car spent sliding around sideways (Jimmy Spencer notwithstanding), the team would run out of cars in less than a month. To back this up, how many Winston Cup drivers can you name that came from Outlaw sprint car racing?
That's about to change. Meet Dave Blaney. If the name doesn't ring a bell to garden-variety Winston Cup fans, watch for it. Coming from the WoO and sprint car world, Blaney has carved a steady path toward putting himself in line for the Rookie of the Year battle this year where he'll match up with the likes of Little E, the Earnhardt kid-but that's another story for another millennium.
The story of Dave Blaney began in the strong, sprint car-rich area of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. There, Blaney and his brother, Dale, grew up watching their dad Lou become a living legend driving sprints and later the heavies-dirt modifieds. It wasn't long before the mild-mannered Blaney followed his quiet father's footsteps and took up the winged cars. Proving to be a quick learner, he established his own racing persona and was noticed when he joined the All Star Circuit of Champions and won rookie honors in 1983.
The very next year, he became the youngest United States Auto Club Silver (USAC) Crown Champion ever and the first rookie to do so. From there, he moved onto the WoO, most notably driving the Casey Luna Ford-powered sprint car. He also showed a necessary talent for racing-keeping a sponsor interested. His run with Vivarin on his wings and uniforms lasted seven years. Running with the cream of the Outlaw crop, Blaney earned the WoO Champion's title in 1995 and finished second every other year from 1993 through 1997. Overall, his sprint car record is 192 wins in 1,349 starts for a 14.25 win ratio in 17 years and with three sprint organizations.