Bashas' Supermarkets 200 - Mike Bliss Notes

MIKE BLISS
No. 20 Rockwell Automation CHEVROLET
PHOENIX Quotes and Notes

Event: Bashas’ Supermarket 200 Date: November 1, 2003
Track: Phoenix International Raceway TV: TNT 3:00 PM EST
Laps/Miles: 200 / 200 Radio: MRN 3:00 PM EST

QUOTES

Driver Mike Bliss on driving at Phoenix…
“Phoenix is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. When we sat down and looked at the schedule for the second half of the year, this was definitely the track I was most excited about. I have raced here in many different kinds of cars and won in most of them. It is such a fun track to drive but the key is getting your car to handle well. You know that you are not going to be perfect the entire way around the track. If you are good in (turns) one & two, then you are going to be loose in (turns) three & four.”

Crew Chief Tim Shutt on racing at PIR…
“Phoenix is a great track with a personality all of its own. It is a flat track with two distinct corners. It is basically a compromise. You try to set your car up to be good in two of the corner and have your driver pull you through in the other two corners. They have reconfigured the track this year, so that will add some challenge in the setup. With the addition of the tunnel and widening of turn two, will cause these cars to handle a little differently but not much. I think you will see the speeds improve as well as the racing.”

NOTES

Phoenix Experience…Of all the tracks that NASCAR visits, Bliss has gained most of his racing experience at Phoenix International Raceway. Although this will be his first Busch Series start, Bliss has raced a variety of cars at this track. From the USAC Series, he has raced Midgets, Silver Crown, and Sprint Cars. From the NASCAR ranks, he has raced Winston Cup Cars, Craftsman Trucks & Southwest Series cars.

Favorite Racing Moment…If you ask Mike Bliss to rattle of some of his greatest racing moments, one that is sure to be on the top of the list is the 1996 Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway. The Copper World Classic was known for years as a proving grounds for aspiring open wheel racers. Past champions include Jeff Gordan, Ken Schrader and Tony Stewert. In the 100 mile race, Bliss used a last lap pass on the late Kenny Irwin, Jr. in the final feature of the USAC Silver Crown race to win this event.

Last Week…After starting 11th and falling back as far as 20th, Bliss used a long green flag run to climb back into the top ten. After a series of green flag pit stops, Bliss was forced to give up his 8th place position to return to pit road due to an equalized tire. He would go on to finish 21st, two laps down from the leader.

Chassis Info… This week the #20 team is bringing Chassis 2035. This will be the fourth race of the 2003 season for this car. After starting the year strong with a third place finish at Las Vegas and a strong run at Fontana, this car was involved in a major accident while running fourth at Kentucky Speedway. The team has completely rebuilt this car and is looking forward to it continuing it’s strong runs.

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