CAT RACING EVENT PREVIEW
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
DODGE CHARGER 500
Track: Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. (1.366-mile oval)
Race: Dodge Charger 500 Date: 05.13.06
DARLINGTON NEWS AND NOTES
Darlington’s Chassis…The No. 22 Caterpillar car Dave Blaney is scheduled to drive this weekend in the Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway is chassis No. 83. This one of the team’s favorite chassis’ and has been used several times this season, including the events at California Speedway, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.
Richmond Review…A 19th-place starting position gave Blaney and the team one of their best qualifying efforts of the season. Though the handling of the Caterpillar car was tight throughout most of the event, Blaney stayed out of harm’s way all evening and picked up several spots in the closing laps to finish 20th, one of the team’s highest finishes of the season and its second consecutive top-25 effort.
Keeping the Streak Alive…Blaney’s top-20 finish in Richmond adds to his streak of races without a DNF. Blaney has been running at the end of 28 consecutive races, the longest current streak in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
Blaney’s Career Stats …Blaney will make his 210th 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 and finished 26th after qualifying in 15th in his first Cup Series start at Darlington in 2000. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
And in Darlington…Blaney has made nine starts on the 1.366-mile South Carolina track, starting as high as 10th (2003) and finishing as high as third (2003). The veteran driver also has four Darlington NASCAR Busch Series starts under his belt. One of his two top-10 finishes in the Busch Series there was a runner-up effort in 1999.
BDR at the “Track Too Tough to Tame”…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have made 33 starts in Darlington and have scored two victories (2000 and 2001). Bill Davis Racing machines have accumulated four top-five finishes, seven top-10 finishes and have been running at the end of all but five races at Darlington Raceway. BDR also has one pole position to its credit (1996).
Don’t Miss it…Blaney is scheduled to sign autographs at the Caterpillar merchandise trailer beginning at 2:15 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Check with the merchandise trailer for updates and more information.
Darlington Broadcasts…Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge Charger 500 is scheduled to start at 3:40 p.m. ET Friday, May 12. The 367-lap event is scheduled to start at 6:55 p.m. ET Saturday, May 13, and will broadcast LIVE on FOX (TV), MRN and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144.
The Cat Crew…
Tony Anderson Car Chief
Steven Berry Coach Driver/Pit Support
Nick Dasovich Gas Runner
Jason Everhart Shocks/Rear Tire Carrier
Derrick Finley Engineer
Kevin “Keg” Gately Tire Specialist/Catch Can
Dax Gerringer Engineer
Craig “Fish” Griffitts Engine Tuner
Kevin Hamlin Crew Chief
Tom Hubert Rear Tire Changer
Tim Hussey Pit Support
Chris “Crazy” Osborne Spotter
Jim “Tiny” Pollard Transport Driver/Gas Man
Kyle Roland Jack Man
Kevin Sharpe Rear Tire Carrier
Brad “Piglet” Tunny Mechanic/Sign Board
Dana Worthing Mechanic/Front Tire Changer
Dave Blaney on Darlington…
“I’ll tell you what, if you can leave Darlington with all the sheet metal intact on your car, you’ve had a good day. This is a racetrack you learn really quickly to treat with respect and if you don’t, you’ll eventually pay the price. I’ve had a couple of good runs throughout the years there, and I’ve had a couple I wouldn’t mind forgetting. I like all the Saturday night racing that we’ve got going on, and racing at night in Darlington is great. Plus we’ve put together a couple of decent runs here in the past three weeks or so, and we’re looking forward to continuing that trend and picking up some more spots in the points. We’re not that far out of the top-25, so we’ll keep plugging away until we get there. There’s a lot of racing left in the season, and we’re eyeing the top 20. The best way to get there is to run consistently every week, stay out of trouble and keep mistakes to a minimum, and that’s what we plan to do.”
