CAT RACING EVENT PREVIEW
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
CROWN ROYAL 400
RICHMOND NEWS AND NOTES
Richmond’s Ride…The No. 22 Caterpillar car Dave Blaney is scheduled to drive this weekend in the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway is chassis No. 88. This car was used earlier in the year at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway where Blaney drove it to a 17th-place finish, the team’s best of the season. Though the crew spent two days testing at the .75-mile track, it chose not to bring back the same car it tested for the race.
Talladega Rewind…Blaney qualified 38th for the second restrictor-plate race of the year and was running in the lead draft all day. Blaney held the 12th spot before he was involved in a multi-car accident with 14 laps remaining in the race. The crew made as many quick repairs to the car as it could, and Blaney nursed the Cat car around the track until the end, earning a 24th-place finish and picking up one spot in the owners’ point standings.
No R&R Before RIR…After having spent an extra day at Talladega Superspeedway, the team went straight to the race shop in High Point, N.C., to make final preparations for testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Richmond on Thursday.
Blaney’s Career Stats …Blaney will make his 209th 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 34th after qualifying in 32nd in his first Cup Series start at Richmond in 2000. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
How He’s Fared in Richmond…Blaney has made 11 starts on the .75-mile Richmond track, starting as high as third (2002) and finishing ninth in that same race. The veteran driver also has 11 Richmond Busch Series starts under his belt.
There’s Been No Leaving Early…Blaney has been running at the finish of 27 consecutive races, the longest current streak in the Cup Series.
BDR at RIR…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have made 35 starts at Richmond and have scored two victories (1993 and 2002). In all, Bill Davis Racing machines have earned five top-10 finishes and have been running at the end of all but three races at Richmond International Raceway.
New This Week…Derrick Finley, who had been serving as Michael Waltrip’s crew chief, has reassumed his position as Bill Davis Racing team engineer beginning this week.
Bring Your Sharpie…Blaney is scheduled to sign autographs at the Caterpillar merchandise trailer at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Check with the merchandise trailer for updates and more information.
Richmond Radio and TV …Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Crown Royal 400 is scheduled to start at 6:10 p.m. ET Friday, May 5. The 400-lap event is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 6, and will broadcast LIVE on FOX (TV), MRN and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144.
Dave Blaney on Richmond…
“We’ve definitely shown improvement over the past couple of weeks, and we’ve managed to pick up a spot or two in the points every week, and every little bit helps. We’re a better team than we were in the beginning of the season, and I’m sure things will only get better from here on out. The guys have worked hard this week, with the extra day in Talladega and then the test at Lowe’s. We can’t wait to get to Richmond, and even more, we can’t wait to leave so everyone can spend a little bit of time at home with their families. I’ll bet there are some lawns that are in desperate need of mowing around the High Point area.
“Richmond is a great track. It’s short enough to be exciting for the fans, but wide and flat enough where there’s more than one groove and has the possibility of a lot of passing and some good racing. Plus, it’s a night race, and there just always seems to be a little bit more energy surrounding the event when we race at night. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to race at Richmond.”
