CAT RACING EVENT PREVIEW
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
CHEVY ROCK & ROLL 400
RICHMOND NEWS AND NOTES
RICHMOND’S RIDE…The No. 22 Caterpillar car Dave Blaney is scheduled to drive this weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway is chassis No. 100. This is the same car Blaney drove to a 13th-place finish (the season’s best) in New Hampshire several weeks ago.
A NEW LOOK…Blaney’s No. 22 car will sport a new paint scheme for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. The paint scheme highlights Cat Engines with ACERT™ Technology. Cat engines with ACERT Technology open a new era in diesel engine design. Using highly advanced combustion technology to optimize performance, these revolutionary engines meet today’s most stringent emissions reduction standards. And they’re poised to take on tomorrow’s challenges. ACERT combines proven systems with innovative new technologies to precisely shape the combustion process. It maintains engine performance, efficiency and durability while dramatically reducing emissions. Looking ahead, ACERT is the only diesel emissions reduction technology currently available with a clear path to Tier 4/Stage IIIb compliance. Only Cat engines have ACERT Technology.
CALIFORNIA RECAP…Blaney and the Cat Racing team qualified in the 41st spot for last Sunday’s event. While he made steady progress toward the front of the field in the early stages of the race, Blaney encountered a tight-handling racecar which impeded his progress late in the event. The team finished the race in 28th place.
BLANEY’S CAREER STATS…Blaney will make his 225th 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 12 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 NASCAR Busch Series starts under his belt.
BDR AT RIR…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have made 36 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.
BACK FOR DOUBLE DUTY…Blaney will once again be behind the wheel of the No. 32 Braun Racing machine during the Busch Series race Friday night. The race will mark Blaney’s fifth Busch Series start for Braun this season. He is also scheduled to compete in the Busch Series events at Dover International Speedway and Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
BRING YOUR SHARPIE…Blaney is scheduled to make another stop at the Caterpillar merchandise trailer to meet fans and sign autographs. Stop by the merchandise trailer or visit www.daveblaney.com for updates and more information.
RICHMOND’S BROADCAST SCHEDULE…Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is scheduled to start at 6:10 p.m. ET Friday, Sept. 8. The 400-mile event is scheduled to start at 7:40 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 9, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144.
DAVE BLANEY ON RICHMOND…
“Richmond is one of those tracks that everyone – drivers, fans and crews– likes to go to. From a fan’s standpoint, it’s a short track so there’s always something going on, and it’s a night race which always seems to add extra excitement for everyone. As a driver, I like it because it’s just a great little track. Whenever anyone is asked about what kind of track they would build if they could, Richmond always comes to mind. It’s wide and flat and it has more than one groove to pass on or move around a bit if you aren’t handling as well in area I think everyone looks forward to getting there, and we had a pretty good run there earlier this year. We’re pretty excited about going back.”
