CAT RACING EVENT PREVIEW
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SHARPIE 500
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. (.566-mile oval)
Race: Sharpie 500 Date: 08.26.06
BRISTOL NEWS AND NOTES
Bristol’s Buggy…The No. 22 Caterpillar car scheduled to compete in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend is chassis No. 83. This car was last used in the June event at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Phoenix International Raceway and California Speedway this season. The team also used this car in the spring race at Bristol.
What Happened Last Week…Dave Blaney and the Cat Racing team finished 24th in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway after starting in the 19th spot.
2007 Plans…Bill Davis Racing will make its NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series 2007 driver lineup announcement this Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. BDR will field Toyota Camrys in NEXTEL Cup competition next season.
Blaney’s Career Stats…Blaney will make his 223rd career NEXTEL Cup Series start when the green flag waves Saturday evening. He made his first career NASCAR Cup Series start in October 1992 at [Rockingham] North Carolina Speedway. Blaney drove his Bill Davis Racing-owned machine to a 35th-place finish after qualifying 26th for his first start at Bristol in 2000.
Back for More…Blaney has made 11 NEXTEL Cup Series starts on the .566-mile Bristol short track and has earned three top-20 finishes. He has qualified in the top 10 three times, including top-five starts in both events last season. Blaney qualified on the outside of the front row for this race last year. The veteran driver has also competed in four Busch Series events on the high-banked oval, finishing as high as ninth.
BDR at BMS…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have been racing at BMS since 1993 and have made 37 starts. Those drivers have posted two top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes. They have also started inside the top 10 nine times and have led 46 laps.
Stop By and Say “Hi”…Blaney is scheduled to make another stop at the Caterpillar merchandise trailer to meet fans and sign autographs Saturday afternoon. Check with the merchandise trailer for updates and more information.
Bristol’s Broadcast Schedule …Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Sharpie 500 is scheduled to start at 3:40 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 25 and will broadcast LIVE on SPEED (TV), PRN (radio) and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144. The 500-lap event is scheduled to start at 7:40 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 26, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), PRN and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144.
Dave Blaney on Bristol…
“Obviously, where you qualify at a little place like Bristol is more of an issue than at a bigger track. You’ve got a better chance of a decent finish if you qualify up front. The guy that starts farther back in the field is going to have one heck of a time holding off the leaders, because they catch up to the back of the pack pretty quickly on the short tracks. Granted, there are usually more chances to catch a break with the lucky dog rule, but that’s certainly not something you want to count on. So we’ll try to get our Cat car up near the front on Friday afternoon.
“Racing in Bristol is an adventure in patient aggressiveness. You can’t wait forever to get around a guy, but you have to be sure to keep your eye on the big picture, which is to be around and have your car in one piece at the end of 500 laps. You can’t be overly aggressive and make stupid mistakes. And you have to hope the other 42 guys are working hard not to make any of their own mistakes either, because there’s nothing more frustrating than getting caught up in someone else’s accident when you’ve worked hard all day to make the smart moves and stay out of trouble.”
