CAT RACING EVENT PREVIEW
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Subway Fresh 500
Track: Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (one-mile oval)
Race: Subway Fresh 500 Date: 04.22.06
PHOENIX NEWS AND NOTES
Cat car stats…The No. 22 Caterpillar car Dave Blaney is scheduled to drive this weekend in the Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway is chassis No. 83. This car was used earlier in the year, but the Cat team has since given the car a brand-new body.
Texas recap…After a brush with the wall during the first practice session on Friday, things never got much better for the Cat Racing team throughout the weekend. Blaney qualified 31st but wrestled with a tight-handling racecar all day on Sunday and eventually took the checkered flag in 29th.
Blaney’s career stats …Blaney will make his 207th career NASCAR 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 eighth (started 13th) in his first Cup Series start at Phoenix in 2000. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
Impressive qualifying runs…Phoenix International Raceway has been good to Blaney over the years, and it is at that track that Blaney has his best qualifying average. In six Cup Series starts at the one-mile oval, he has qualified outside the top 20 only once. Blaney has started inside the top 13 on four occasions and twice in the top 10, including a fifth-place qualifying run in 2002.
And he finishes pretty well too…Blaney backs up his notable qualifying efforts on race day, earning an average finishing position of 19.3. His average is supported by his two top-10 finishes at the Arizona facility. Phoenix comes in second behind Homestead-Miami Speedway as Blaney’s best tracks as far as finishes go. The veteran driver also has two Busch Series starts at the track.
Thinking ahead…Like most of their competitors, Blaney and the team spent two days last week testing at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in preparation for the upcoming event at that track.
A pit stop in Fontana…Blaney will be flying to California Speedway Wednesday before heading to Phoenix to take part in a Hard Hat Tour of the midway reconstruction project with media and local dignitaries at the Fontana track.
Bring your Sharpie…Blaney is scheduled to sign autographs at the Caterpillar merchandise trailer Saturday afternoon. Check with the merchandise trailer for updates and additional information.
Phoenix TV and radio …Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Subway Fresh 500 is scheduled to start at 8:40 p.m. ET Thursday, April 20 and will broadcast live on Speed Channel (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144. The 500-lap event is scheduled to start at 8:25 p.m. ET Saturday, April 22, 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
Ryan Crellin Front Tire Carrier
Nick Dasovich Gas Runner
Jason Everhart Shocks/Rear Tire Carrier
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
Derek Seeke Engineer
Andy Shahan Mechanic
Brad “Piglet” Tunny Mechanic/Sign Board
Dana Worthing Mechanic/Front Tire Changer
Dave Blaney on Phoenix…
“We’ve got another car that the guys have worked hard on to put a brand new body on since we last ran it, which was Bristol. It ran pretty well there, so hopefully it will be even better in Phoenix. Phoenix is a great racetrack, and I think everyone enjoys racing at that track. It’s really a momentum track; you have to get the car handling well off the corners so you can carry your speed onto the straightaways. If you can’t get that done, it’s going to be a really long 312 laps. Plus, turns one and two are considerably different than three and four, and while you would ideally like to be able to get the car handling like you want it in all four corners, sometimes you have to give a little something away in one corner to make the car work in the others. So you have to put some thought into that as well, and obviously, it helps to qualify well too since it’s a short enough track that the leaders start lapping traffic relatively quickly. It’s been good to me in the past, and we’re hoping this weekend might be an opportunity for us to get this team back on track.”
