Race 2 Win: Advance Auto Parts 500

Nextel Cup Series

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Advance Auto Parts 500 - Dave Blaney Notes

Dave Blaney
No. 07 SKF / Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Advance Auto Parts 500 – April 10, 2005
Venue: Martinsville Speedway – Martinsville, Va.

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Martinsville Speedway … Dave Blaney will pilot chassis No. 116 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Formerly a Cingular Wireless Chevrolet, this car finished 32nd last September at Richmond. Additionally, Chassis No. 116 saw action last season during the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge where it finished 21st.

SKF Steps in … SKF, the world’s leading manufacturer of bearings, seals and related products dedicated to improving today’s automobiles, trucks and machinery, will be the primary sponsor on Blaney’s No. 07 at Martinsville this weekend. Jack Daniel’s, the team’s fulltime primary sponsor, will be prominently displayed on the car’s rear quarter-panels and deck lid in the one-race program highlighting RCR and SKF’s technical partnership.

A Series of Unfortunate Events … After qualifying on the outside pole last week at Bristol, Blaney suffered clutch problems early in the event and was caught up in a 14-car incident on lap 333. At the end of the day, Blaney finished 20th – five laps down to winner and RCR teammate Kevin Harvick.

21 for 23 for RCR … Based on Harvick’s win last week at Bristol, an RCR NEXTEL Cup Series team has won at least one race in 21 of the last 23 seasons.

Meet the Driver … Blaney will sign autographs at the Jack Daniel’s souvenir trailer Sunday, April 10 from 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Up to Speed …The Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway will be televised live Sunday, April 10 beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on FOX and be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the sixth of 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events will air live on Speed Friday, April 8 at 3 p.m. EDT and will also be broadcast live on MRN and XM Satellite Radio.

DAVE BLANEY QUOTES:
Although you got caught up in that wreck, all three RCR cars ran very well at Bristol. Do you feel pretty good about the short track program heading into Martinsville this weekend?
“For sure. We had a really good Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet at Bristol. I definitely think we had a top 10 car but we got caught up in a wreck that happened in front of us. I haven’t had much success at Martinsville but, as a team, RCR has been very successful there. Collectively, the team knows what to do and what we need in the cars. Kevin (Harvick) and Jeff (Burton) both ran very well at Martinsville last fall. I’m sure my guys will have a good race car for me, so from there I need to take care of it. “

What are your thoughts about how things are progressing?
“I’m really happy with where our team is at. All our guys mesh well together and everyone really seems to work good together. Our team is pretty strong. We’ve got a good group of guys. They are confident, experienced – I mean I really, really like them and they all work well together, especially with our teammates and we’re starting to see the pay off there. They’ve given me really good race cars every week.”

Based on how well you and Jeff have performed in recent weeks and in light of Kevin’s win last week at Bristol, do you see RCR as a whole turning the corner?
“RCR turned the corner months ago - it’s just now starting to show up at the race track. We’re seeing new and better cars coming all the time. They’re making big gains in the engine room, so it has been coming. It showed up big at Bristol and I think it’s going to continue. We’re going to keep getting better in the next few months.”

Is there any advantage whatsoever in trying to make a deal with someone at a place like Martinsville or Bristol to try and work together to get to the front?
“Not at all - unless you promise a guy that you won’t run in to him and even that’s not a real promise. That’s the only way you can help someone. It’s tough to pass good cars at Martinsville, even if you are a little better. You get your car really good at certain places on the track where you can go and pass people fairly easy. That’s the way Kevin was and my car was for a portion of the race at Bristol. As far as working your way from the back to the front, you’re on your own.”

It’s been a couple of years since you last raced at Martinsville. Do you see a second groove opening up and the track lending itself to side-by-side racing?
“The last couple times the second groove has been raceable for sure. The outside may not have been as fast as the inside but it’s definitely been raceable. But, you never know it’s different every weekend. This new tire is different too, so that’s going to throw something else into the equation. Martinsville is notorious for rubber building up on the race track – big chucks of rubber and ropey chunks of rubber and with the softer the tire, the more of that you’ll see. Where you run is very dependant on where the rubber is building up on the track. I’m guessing all the rubber will build up from the center of the track toward the top, so my guess is we’ll race on the bottom all day like it’s been for the last however many years.”

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