Dave Blaney and the Caterpillar Racing team lined up in the 34th spot for Sunday’s Daytona 500. After hanging with the lead packs for much of the event, Blaney was poised for a top-10 finish before being involved in an accident with just over 10 laps to go. Blaney was credited with a 38th-place finish when the checkered flag waved.
The green flag waved for the start of the 50th running of the Daytona 500, and Blaney wasted no time in making his way to the front of the field. With a Toyota Camry that had been fast since the start of Speedweeks, Blaney knew he had what it took to make it there. On lap 29 of the 200-lap race, Blaney communicated to crew chief Tommy Baldwin that the car handled extremely tight.
The Caterpillar Racing team made its first pit stop of the day on lap 39, and Baldwin called for four fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Blaney was running in the 26th spot by the 50-lap mark and was still working through a tight handling condition. That aside, Baldwin reported to Blaney that he was among the fastest cars on the track.
The second pit stop of the afternoon took place on lap 76. Baldwin called for more extensive chassis adjustments, which included wedge and track bar adjustments. The first caution flag of the event waved several laps later, and Baldwin took the opportunity to make another stop, this time adding a full rubber to the right rear spring. The changes helped for a while, and by lap 90, the No. 22 Caterpillar Camry was back among the top 25.
On lap 135, Blaney let the team know that the last set of adjustments made to the car had made it much better, but on lap 149, he notified the team he thought he may have had a tire going down based on how the car was acting. Luckily, a caution flag waved, and Blaney was able to drive the car down pit lane to the attention of his awaiting crew on lap 153. Air pressure and a track bar adjustments were on tap during that pit stop, and after replacing all four tires, Blaney’s crew returned the No. 22 Camry to the track in the 18th spot. The veteran driver was soon on the move.
With 38 laps left in the event, Blaney was in 12th place when the yellow flag waved once again. Baldwin called for fuel only during the ensuing pit stop, and when the race restarted, the Caterpillar Toyota held second place. Though he fell through the field a bit, Blaney’s Camry was strong. With 20 laps to go, he stood inside the top 10 and was gunning for more. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Blaney was hit first by the No. 42 car, then the No. 29 car and was sent careening into the outside wall. The car was too damaged to finish the race, and the team was credited with a 38th-place finish.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will travel to the two-mile California Speedway next weekend for the Auto Club 500 Sunday, Feb. 24. Qualifying for the event is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22. Coverage of the 250-lap race is scheduled for a 4 p.m. ET start, and will broadcast on FOX (television), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Bill Davis Racing’s No. 22 Camry will carry the Cat Pavers paint scheme for this event.