Trace Adkins Chrome 300 - Mike Bliss Notes

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

Event: Trace Adkins Chrome 300 Date: June 7, 2003
Track: Nashville Superspeedway TV: FX 8:00 PM EST
Laps/Miles: 225 / 300 Radio: MRN 8:00 PM EST

QUOTES Driver Mike Bliss on driving at Nashville Superspeedway…
“I have been waiting to return to Nashville since April. We came here then with really high expectations. We were strong in the first practice and I thought we had a really good shot at the pole, but wrecked coming off of turn four. I should have just spun it out in the infield, but tried to save it and ended up wrecking. We were able to come from the back and finish in the top five. Last year I won a guitar from here and when we built the trophy cabinet, we built it for two guitars. I would like to add that second one this weekend. ”

Crew Chief Tim Shutt on racing at “White Lightening”…
“I am looking forward to returning to Nashville. Before this season, Mike had only run seven Busch Series races. Each week he is learning something new about the cars and differences from the trucks. This weekend should give us an indication of where he is on the learning curve. It also allows us to set a benchmark for the rest of the season as we start to visit the same tracks for the second time with a new driver and a new car model. We have been working hard to make our cars better and have some new setups that we want to try.”

NOTES
Last Race…Coming off a strong run at Charlotte, the #20 team headed to Dover with a lot of momentum. After struggling in the first practice, Bliss was only able to secure the 22nd starting position. After a long day of racing, Bliss finished 9th completing all 200 laps of the race. This is Bliss’s eighth top ten finish of the season.

Points Standings… With last week’s 9th -place finish, Bliss was able to maintain his fourth place position in the Driver’s Points Standings. He was able to distance himself from fifth place Ron Hornaday & sixth place Jason Keller while losing some ground to frontrunners Todd Bodine (1st), Scott Riggs (2nd) and David Green (3rd). Bliss continues to pace the series in top-five finishes as he is tied with frontrunners Todd Bodine, Scott Riggs & David Green for the most top-five finishes in the series (6).

History at Nashville…This will be Bliss’s third race at Nashville Superspeedway. In his first race, in the NASCAR Truck Series, he was able to sit on the pole and win the race on route to the Series Championship. In his first race in a Busch Car, Bliss came from the 43rd starting position to finish fourth. Bliss also led his first laps in a Busch Series car at Nashville Superspeedway.

Chassis Info… This week the #20 team is bringing Chassis #1833. This was the same car that they unloaded with at the Nashville Race in April. Strong in the first practice, Bliss wrecked #1833 during qualifying. The car was rebuilt and taken to California for a race two weeks later. At California, the car proved strong and Bliss ran in the top ten most of the day until he was forced to make a green flag stop for fuel and was caught a lap down by the caution flag.

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