Meijer 300 presented by Oreo - Blake Feese Notes

FEESE MAKING NASCAR DEBUT: Blake Feese, who recently joined Hendrick Motorsports' driver development program, will enter his first career NASCAR Busch Series event on Saturday at Kentucky Speedway in the No. 87 ditech.com Chevrolet. The Saybrook, Ill., native joined Hendrick's driver development program in April, earning four top-10 finishes in four ARCA Series events, including a win at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in his circuit debut.

SEVENTH HEAVEN FOR FEESE: At Kentucky this weekend, Feese will be making just his seventh-ever start on pavement. The 22-year-old driver has raced in five ARCA events, one ProCup race and a single 30-lap Late Model show. Feese, who started driving quarter midgets at age 10, is a veteran of World of Outlaws, USAC and All-Star sprint car competition.

NO. 87 FOR FEESE: Hendrick Motorsports has formed a developmental alliance with NEMCO Motorsports that will allow Feese to drive the organization's No. 87 Busch Series entry at Kentucky. In 2003, NEMCO assisted with the progression of current Busch Series championship contender Kyle Busch, who posted two runner-up results, three top-10 finishes and five top-10 qualifying efforts in seven races driving the No. 87 Chevrolets.

FEESE TESTS KENTUCKY: Feese tested Kentucky with the No. 87 ditech.com team on Thursday, June 10, posting solid times while touring the 1.5-mile tri-oval. It was his second test of the year at Kentucky following a prep session just prior to the May 8 ARCA event, which saw Feese finish eighth.

'87' HAS HISTORY: The No. 87 Chevrolet that Feese will drive at Kentucky was the race-winning car at Lowe's Motor Speedway last October before being the pole-sitter at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, each with pilot Greg Biffle. At Michigan, David Reutimann qualified second and finished sixth in the car last August.

BLAKE FEESE, DRIVER OF THE NO. 87 DITECH.COM CHEVROLETS: (YOU'RE MAKING YOUR FIRST NASCAR START THIS WEEKEND. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU?) "I'm very excited. It was a lot of hard work and a long time getting here. I'm excited to have an opportunity with good people behind me -- everybody at Hendrick and everybody at NEMCO. Being in good equipment makes my job a lot easier and makes the chances for success a lot better.

"I never knew if I was going to get an opportunity. There was never any safety net if I missed a chance. If nothing ever came, I'd just be back in Illinois running sprint cars. There was no manufacturer opening doors and no big corporation funding me. To have something like this come along -- where I'm a developmental driver for Hendrick Motorsports and they're able to put me with a solid Busch effort -- it's amazing. They're not only giving me track time, but quality track time. There's a difference between that and just regular seat time. It's an opportunity I was never sure I'd have."

FEESE: (WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS WEEKEND?) "I want to come away with little or no driver errors. I want to keep my mistakes to a minimum. By doing that, I think we'll ensure a good finish, whether that's a top-15, a top-10 or something else. I don't really know what to expect. I know that Brian (Pattie, crew chief) and all the guys on my team will do a good job. So if I can keep my mistakes to a minimum, I think we'll be able to come out of there OK. There are things that are out of my hands, so I just try to focus on what I can control, which is what I do from the seat."

FEESE: (ON TESTING KENTUCKY LAST WEEK.) "The test went really smoothly. Brian (Pattie) and I clicked right off the bat. Whatever feedback I gave, he was able to make the necessary changes. We were pretty quick right off the truck. It's good equipment. I think we've got a good baseline for when we roll into the first practice session. We're going to tweak on it a little throughout practice and go from there."

FEESE: (YOUR DAD, DAVE FEESE, HAS BEEN SUCH A DRIVING FORCE BEHIND YOUR CAREER. IS IT SPECIAL TO MAKE YOUR FIRST NASCAR START ON FATHER'S DAY WEEKEND?) "It's definitely special. Without the support of my parents -- Dad especially -- I wouldn't have gotten this far. It's neat that the day after the Busch race is Father's Day. I'd like to get a good finish for him. That would be pretty cool."