CAT RACING EVENT PREVIEW
POCONO RACEWAY
PENNSYLVANIA 500
Track: Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. (2.5-mile tri-oval)
Race: Pennsylvania 500 Date: 07.23.06
POCONO RACEWAY NEWS AND NOTES
Pocono’s Car…The No. 22 Caterpillar car Dave Blaney is scheduled to drive this weekend in the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway is chassis No. 84. This car was last run at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in June.
Blaney’s Career Stats…Blaney will make his 219th career NASCAR 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 30th (started 35th) in his first start at Pocono. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
Long Pond Lowdown…Blaney has made 13 Cup Series starts at the 2.5-mile Long Pond, Pa., facility, starting as high as 15th and finishing as high as ninth. He has scored two top-10 finishes at the track.
What Happened Last Time…Blaney and the team started 30th for the Pocono 500 in June. After fighting a tight handling racecar for most of the day, the team took the checkered flag in 27th place.
What About Last Week?...After qualifying in the 28th spot for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway last weekend, Blaney drove the No. 22 Cat machine to a 13th-place finish, the team’s second consecutive top-20 effort and best performance of the season.
BDR at Pocono…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have been racing at Pocono Raceway since 1993 and have made 35 starts. Those drivers have posted one top-10 effort, one pole (1998) and combined for a total of 105 laps led.
Don’t Forget…Blaney is scheduled to sign autographs at the Caterpillar merchandise trailer beginning at 12:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Check with the merchandise trailer for updates and more information.
What Weekend Off? Blaney will spend his off weekend at Sharon Speedway, the Ohio track he co-owns. While he’s there, he will take part in several events including Caterpillar Night and a Dave Blaney Fan Club gathering.
Friday Road Trip…Blaney and several of his fellow NEXTEL Cup Series competitors will travel to the 5/8-mile West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells Friday for a night of autographs and dirt-track racing.
Pocono Broadcasts…Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Pennsylvania 500 is scheduled to start at 3:40 p.m. ET Friday, July 21. The 200-lap (500 miles) event is scheduled to start at 2:05 p.m. ET Sunday, July 23, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144.
Dave Blaney on Pocono…
“We’re hoping things go a bit better this time around than they did when we were here in June. Our car was tight all day, and it didn’t seem to matter what changes we made, we just couldn’t free it up enough. It was one of those days where we just had to make the most of what we had. Progress is being made with this Caterpillar Racing team. We’ve had two pretty decent finishes in a row, and while that may not be enough to make a lot of people in this sport celebrate, it certainly is enough to allow us to think things may be looking up and give us hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The guys have been working really hard and they deserve some good results for their efforts. I think everyone is looking forward to getting back to Pocono to see what we can do this time around.
“You always go into the weekend at Pocono knowing you will have to compromise. It’s almost impossible to get the car working exactly like you want it to in every corner, so you have to decide which one is more important to you from a handling standpoint. You have to be able to get off the corners well to get up to speed on the straightaways. So if your car isn’t handing like you want it to coming off the corners, you are going to lose a lot of momentum, which is going to cost you every lap. It’s an interesting racetrack and not very much like any other track we race on. Hopefully we can leave there having had another good weekend.”
