Dave Blaney's Daytona Preview
Location: Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway Notes
- Daytona’s Camry…The No. 22 Bill Davis Racing team plans to utilize chassis No. 27 for the Coke Zero 400 this weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
- What Happened Last Week…Dave Blaney qualified in the 41st position for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at [Loudon] New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He drove to a 33rd-place finish.
- Blaney’s Career Stats…Blaney will make his 285th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start when the green flag waves for the event Saturday evening. He made his first career Cup Series start in October 1992 at [Rockingham] North Carolina Speedway and finished 27th in his first Cup Series start at Daytona International Speedway in 2000. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
- Blaney at DIS…Blaney has made 17 Cup Series starts on the 2.5-mile speedway during his career and has finished as high as 14th (2005). Blaney has scored three top-15 finishes at the Daytona Beach, Fla., track in his Cup Series career.
- BDR at DIS…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have been racing at Daytona International Speedway since 1993 and have made 40 starts. BDR drivers have been victorious on one occasion (2002) and have scored three top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes at the track.
- Bring Your Sharpie…Look for Blaney to stop by the Caterpillar/Toyota Racing merchandise hauler to sign autographs this weekend. Please check with the trailer for exact times.
- Dirt Track Challenge…Blaney, the 1995 World of Outlaws Champion, is scheduled to head to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, to race 360 Sprint cars with Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne in the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 360 Challenge next Tuesday evening. The event is the second of a three-race challenge. The first race took place at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, with Blaney finishing 11th, ahead of both Kayne and Stewart. The final event will take place on Aug. 19 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
- Coke Zero 400 Broadcast Schedule…Qualifying for the event is scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m. ET Friday, July 4. The 160-lap event is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, July 5, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
Blaney’s Thoughts on the Coke Zero 400…
“We’ve had our ups and downs this season, but it’s a whole different ball game when you get to Daytona. Our restrictor plate program has obviously struggled this season, but we’ve worked hard, and we’re hoping we’ve made some big gains on it. We need to have a good run this weekend and to stay out of trouble, whether it is of our doing or of someone else’s. We had some momentum on our side for a while with a string of top-20 finishes, and that helped move us into top-25 range within the points, but a bunch of those teams that we’re battling with have picked up the pace too. We can’t afford to give anything else away and every race is as important as the next, but this Bill Davis Racing team needs a good finish this weekend to make sure we’re not on the outside looking in. As long as we unload with a quick race car we should be fine. Tommy Baldwin, Gene Nead and the guys at the engine shop have been working hard to make sure that’s exactly what happens.”
|
