CAT RACING EVENT PREVIEW
CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
USG SHEETROCK 400
Track: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. (1.5-mile oval)
Race: USG Sheetrock 400 Date: July 9, 2006
CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY NEWS AND NOTES
Chicago’s Chassis…The No. 22 Caterpillar car Dave Blaney is scheduled to drive this weekend in the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway is chassis No. 101. This is the same car the team tested in Kentucky at the beginning of June, then took to the event later that month at Michigan International Speedway.
Superspeedway Summary…Blaney finished 27th in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway last Saturday night despite a Happy Hour practice accident that forced the team to utilize its back up car.
Blaney’s Career Stats…Blaney will make his 217th career NEXTEL Cup Series start when the green flag waves Sunday afternoon. He made his first career NASCAR Cup Series start in October 1992 at [Rockingham] North Carolina Speedway and finished 12th in his first start in Joliet. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
Chicago’s Numbers…Blaney has made five starts on the 1.5-mile speedway during his Cup Series career, starting as high as seventh (2002) and finishing as high as 12th (2001). He has scored two top-20 finishes at the track in Cup Series competition and has qualified in the top 10 on three occasions, which makes Chicagoland Speedway one of Blaney’s best tracks for qualifying.
BDR at Chicagoland…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have made eight starts since the Cup Series first visited the track in 2001. BDR drivers have posted four top-20 efforts and have completed 1,952 of 2,136 possible laps (91.4 percent).
Blaney’s Back Busch Racing…Blaney returns to the seat of the No. 32 Braun Racing entry this weekend, as he attempts to make his second NASCAR Busch Series start with the team this season. He also plans to compete in the Busch Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway in two weeks.
Practice Makes Perfect…After leaving Chicago, the Caterpillar Racing team is scheduled to spend Monday and Tuesday testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the Brickyard 400 weekend in August.
Chicago Broadcasts…Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup USG Sheetrock 400 is scheduled to start at 3:35 p.m. ET Friday, July 7. The 267-lap (400 miles) event is scheduled to start at 3:35 p.m. ET Sunday, July 9, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN (Radio) and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144.
Dave Blaney on Chicagoland Speedway…
“The results didn’t show it, especially since it was a shortened race, and we kept getting showers throughout the day, but this was a pretty good car for us in Michigan. I’ve always liked the Chicago track, so we’re hoping for at least a top-25 finish this weekend. We’ve been gaining, and at the same time, losing ground in the points. Most importantly, we really need a couple of solid, consistent finishes to help us not only in the points area, but also to help build our confidence. We’re dangerously close to falling outside the top 35, and I just can’t believe it. The battle from say, 25th to 35th, is close, and we really need to beat those guys instead of being beaten to make up some ground. We had the chance to help our situation in Sonoma, and we wound up having problems of our own, which was disheartening. We have to be able to capitalize on those opportunities when they arise, but at the same time, we can’t beat ourselves up when things don’t go our way. It’s tough to not let yourself get down, but luckily the way this series is, next week comes too soon to spend that much time worrying about last week.”
