Gary Blanken grew up in a successful racing family that had its ups and downs but the journey has helped him become a highly successful dirt-track wheelman. Both his parents were great drivers in their own rights on the local drag strips. His father Elmer Blanken was so talented that he has a Spring Nationals title from the famed Bristol Dragway, a place which he also held a record for three years in the Formula 3-C class. His mother Linda also was a winning driver in the Lipstick Eliminator class at the local drag strips. The foundation was set for Gary's success in motor sports early and he used it fully to become one of Tazewell Speedway's legendary drivers.

Gary had began racing early on in his life at drag strips around the East Tennessee area but something happened one day that changed his future. In a tragic turn of events the shop that housed the drag racing tools and cars was lost due to fire. Inside that garage was a new pro-stock car ready for Gary to race. Drag racing was then left somewhat in the Blanken family past. Blanken at that time discovered oval racing on the dirt and has been doing it since.

In 1984 with an old Roscoe Smith Camaro, Blanken began his career. It was a 6-cylinder car that was changed to a V-8 and ran in the Cadet Class at Bulls Gap. In his two-barreled Camaro he got several top fives but the win alluded him until the end of that season. Blanken was on the good end of racing luck that night as the leader had a flat allowing the second place Camaro to go around and take the checkers. Buddy Hopson was involved in making the second Cadet car as Blanken's car was the first Cadet car to come out of the famed Buddy Hopson garage. That car started the winning tradition he now enjoys.

In 1985 he came to the Taz a few times with limited success. Blanken adds, "I ran the Gap more those days because it was closer and I did really well there." The racing continued in Super Stocks at the Gap and Kingsport in which he won frequently. During that time period his Chevy was protested five times and on all occasions was deemed to be legal. His first win at the Taz was in that Laguna Chevelle. In 1992 he hooked up with Tommy Hicks for some late model racing and done well but never won. He did however have several top five finishes. Moving on to 1996, Blanken drove Joe Ray's Super Late Model and won a few races but in 1997 to 1998 he was back at the Taz and was having perhaps the best two-year span of racing success ever witnessed there. In his red 05- Thunder and Lightning car he won an astonishing 28 out of 35 races. His consistent winning even forced rule changes at the Taz that in 1998 would place him three rows back in the field on the start of the race after he would win a couple of races consecutively. He won races despite starting in the sixth spot on several race events but never repeated the success of the previous year.

In 1999 the Thunder and Lightning class was dropped from Tazewell Speedway and Blanken clipped the car and began running it in the Limited Late Model class. Again, he won a few more races in that class. When 2002 rolled around he was driving for Billy Gordon in the G7 limited and won 8 races but the next season only grabbed one win. Blanken purchased a Super Late Model from Billy Ogle Jr. in 2005 and ran in the Super Late Model class finishing in the top five during several races but again he never found victory lane. He almost won one that season with a dominating car that did not even have a nose- piece. A late caution gave Bryan Hendrix a shot at the lead and he rubbed his way by Blanken denying him the win that night.

Blanken is now teamed up with Frankie Bolden and so far its been golden. He has already won five races this season and just missed out on another one due to a blown engine and the resulting crash. He ran the car some at the end of 2010 and got a couple of wins which set him up for this year's success. When talking about his favorite or most respected driver(s) Blanken admits to being a huge Dale Earnhardt Sr. Fan. Blanken added, "I just loved the way he drove a car. He just would not let another driver bully him around on the track and I try to pattern my style around his. Another driver I loved to watch was Scott Sexton. He had that style too."

Blanken credits Buddy Hopson on helping him learn the fine art of set-ups and the general knowledge of the race car itself. He worked part-time at the Hopson shop for twenty-years. Bobby Wells was a neighbor to the Blanken family and he taught him the ins and outs of welding as well as other things. Every racer needs sponsors and Blanken gives credit to Tommy Hicks and Jerry's Automotive as being the first two that really helped him. Lakeway Auto sales was also good to him but his best sponsorship was from BRC Crankshafts. It was merely a parts sponsorship but worth its weight in gold. Bobby Wells and Trevor Crittenden help him now with his race cars and he also does double-duty at Tazewell Speedway as the technical inspector at the Taz on a weekly basis. He has Championships to his credit at Tazewell Speedway and Bulls Gap but calls Tazewell Speedway his home track.

When asked about his goal at this point in his career he stated, "I just really want to win a Super Late Model race because that has avoided me. Its going to be hard now since Tazewell doesn't run them weekly anymore but it would be nice to do that someday." Blanken hesitated and then added, "I know I have the talent to race with those guys but with me its always been about the finances. If I could change one thing in racing overall it would be that. Too many people are up in those stands wanting to be down here in the pits and on that track but simply can't afford to. That's honestly the one thing I would change if I could. It needs to be more affordable. The hard-working folk need the chance to race also."

Despite all the things that have sometimes gotten in his way Blanken has struggled through it all and has became a Tazewell Speedway Legend. His personality and easy going demeanor sets him apart from many others you may meet in the Tazewell Speedway pits. As a final note Blanken wishes to thank his parents, Bobby Wells, Tommy Hicks, Buddy Hopson and the countless amounts of people that have helped him in the past and present.