CAT RACING EVENT PREVIEW
NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
LENOX INDUSTRIAL TOOLS 300
Track: New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N. H. (1.058-mile oval)
Race: Lenox Industrial Tools 300 Date: July 16, 2006
NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY NEWS AND NOTES
Loudon’s Chassis…The Caterpillar Racing team has worked hard to prepare a brand new car (chassis No. 100) for Dave Blaney to drive this weekend in the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Chicago’s Recap…Blaney qualified 15th for the event, one of the team’s best starting spots of the season, then backed it up with a solid performance during the race. It was a good weekend for the Hartford, Ohio, native, who finished 17th in the event and gained three positions in the owners’ point standings.
Blaney’s Career Stats…Blaney will make his 218th 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 40th in his first start in Loudon. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
Loudon’s Lowdown…Blaney has made 12 starts on the 1.058-mile speedway during his Cup Series career, starting as high as fifth (2002) and finishing as high as 11th (2001). He has scored three top-15 finishes at the track in Cup Series competition and has qualified in the top 20 on three occasions.
BDR at NHIS…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have been racing at New Hampshire International Speedway since 1993 and have made 32 starts. Those drivers have posted one top-five effort—a victory in 2002—and three top-10 finishes.
Back for More…For the second consecutive week, Blaney will attempt to compete in both the Cup Series and Busch Series races. Blaney will be behind the wheel of the No. 32 Braun Racing Busch Series entry for the third time this season. Blaney started on the front row in the Busch Series event last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway and finished 13th.
Visit the Cat Trailer…Blaney is scheduled to sign autographs at the Caterpillar merchandise trailer at 9:45 a.m. EDT Sunday. Check with the merchandise trailer for updates and more information.
Practice Makes Perfect…The Caterpillar Racing team tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the Monday and Tuesday following the race in Chicago in preparation for the Brickyard 400 weekend in August.
Loudon Live…Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Lenox Industrial Tools 300 is scheduled to start at 3:10 p.m. ET Friday, July 14. The 300-lap (317.4 miles) event is scheduled to start at 2:10 p.m. ET Sunday, July 16, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144.
Dave Blaney’s Thoughts Heading Into New Hampshire International Speedway…
“It’s a lot easier to be looking forward to the next event when you are coming off a pretty decent weekend like we just had at Chicagoland. Everything went the way it is supposed to during practice and qualifying, and even though the Caterpillar car was pretty tight during most of the race, we were able to make it a little better by making some changes, which was good. We’ve got a brand new car this weekend that’s never seen the racetrack, so we’ll see how things go. Hopefully, we’ll be good right off the truck, and we’ll just have to tweak on it throughout the weekend. We feel like we’ve been making some progress here in the last couple of weeks. This Bill Davis Racing team has worked hard this year and maybe we’re on the way to turning the corner in the second half of the season.”
