Kroger 200 - Mike Bliss Notes

Mike Bliss
No. 20 Rockwell Automation CHEVROLET
IRP Quotes and Notes

Event: Kroger 200 Date: July 26, 2003
Track: Indianapolis Raceway Park TV: NBC 3:30 PM EST
Laps/Miles: 200 / 250 Radio: MRN 3:00 PM EST

QUOTES

Driver Mike Bliss on driving at Indy…
“I am real excited to return to the Raceway Park. Of all the tracks we run this year, I probably have the most laps on any track at IRP. When I first moved out east, I lived outside of Indianapolis and raced in the all kinds of cars in the USAC series. This was my favorite track.

IRP is a fast, flat oval. It is one of the few tracks where you tend to get better bite on the high line than on the bottom. We have to make sure that our car can get through the corners. Also, track position is going to be key. This will put a little pressure on the crew to make sure that we have solid stops and stay near the front all night.

Crew Chief Tim Shutt on racing at IRP…
“Everyone on the team is looking forward to this weekend. This where we all cut our teeth; short track racing under the lights. This weekend is a big challenge for the teams. You have limited practice time during the hottest part of the day and then you race under the lights in cool conditions. In addition to that, you have set your car up for the long runs of the race and qualify that set-up. I am looking forward to the challenge.”

NOTES

History at IRP… Mike Bliss has done a lot of racing at IRP. He has raced in USAC Midgets, USAC Silver Crown, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series & the NASCAR Busch Series. His best qualifying effort in the Truck Series was third and his best finish was third. Bliss made his lone Busch Series start in 1999 where he qualified a very loose car 36th and the night did not improve as he lasted just 30 laps before an accident ended his night early.

Double Duty…Mike Bliss is scheduled to have a busy day Saturday. In addition to the Busch race on Saturday night, Bliss is scheduled to race in the fourth installment of IROC XXVII. Currently, Bliss is second in points with one win and one runner-up finish in the previous three IROC races this season.

Defending Champion…Mike Bliss is again entered in the USAC Silver Crown race scheduled for Thursday at IRP. Last year, Bliss was able to win his fifth career USAC Silver Crown series at IRP. Bliss has the most USAC wins at IRP with 12.

Chassis Info… This week the #20 team is bringing Chassis #1824. This car made it’s Busch Series debut last week at Pike’s Peak International Raceway. Bliss started 6th and finished 16th.

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