Cat Racing/Dave Blaney Event Preview
New Hampshire International Speedway
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New Hampshire International Speedway News and Notes
Blaney’s No. 22 Camry…The Caterpillar Racing team will test two cars at Thompson (Conn.) Speedway Wednesday and will choose between COT 17 and COT 19 as Dave Blaney’s primary car for Loudon once the test is complete.
Sonoma review…The No. 22 team landed solidly in the field for the first road course event of the season last week at Infineon Raceway. After qualifying in the 19th spot, the team experienced electrical problems early in the race and was forced to the garage for repairs. Blaney took the checkered flag in the 41st spot.
A Career Milestone…Blaney hopes to make his 250th career Nextel Cup Series start when the green flag waves Sunday afternoon. He made his first career Cup Series start in October 1992 at [Rockingham] North Carolina Speedway and finished 40th after qualifying 34th for his first Cup Series start in Loudon in 1999. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
Blaney at NHIS…Blaney has made 14 starts on the 1.058-mile oval during his Cup Series career, starting as high as fifth (2002) and finishing as high as ninth. He has scored five top-15 finishes in Cup Series competition at the New Hampshire track. Blaney has competed in a Bill Davis Racing entry at New Hampshire International Speedway seven times.
BDR at NHIS…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have been racing at the track since 1993 and have made 34 starts. Those drivers have posted one top-five finish and four top-10 finishes, including a victory in 2002.
Extracurricular Activities…After spending Wednesday testing at Thompson Speedway, Blaney will fly to Williams Grove Speedway to participate in a special event led by Kasey Kahne. Blaney will pilot his No. 10 sprint car on the half-mile clay oval in a 358/360 sprint car event to benefit the Kasey Kahne Foundation. Blaney tested at Thunder Valley Speedway in Lawndale, N.C., last week in preparation for the event.
Blaney’s Busch Battle…Blaney fell to fourth place in the NASCAR Busch Series drivers’ point standings after choosing to remain in Sonoma and not make the trip to The Milwaukee Mile for Saturday evening’s race. He will attempt to gain ground on the leader again this weekend during the Camping World 200 Presented by RVs.com Saturday afternoon at NHIS.
Loudon’s Broadcast Schedule…Qualifying for Sunday’s event is scheduled to start at 3:10 p.m. ET Friday, June 29. The 300-lap event is scheduled to start at 2:10 p.m. ET Sunday, July 1, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
Blaney’s Thoughts…“I think that our program is starting to come together. We were worried about making the show last weekend in Sonoma because there were so many road course guys out there, but we went out there and did what we had to do for qualifying and made it solidly into the race. We didn’t finish like we would have liked, which seems to be the way things have gone for us this year, but after we got the problems worked out the car ran pretty well near the end of the race. Unfortunately, every time we have the opportunity to make up some ground on the top 35, we wind up with problems of our own, which is very frustrating. Still, getting a good qualifying lap in is the first hurdle to overcome every week, and Loudon is no exception. I’ve been really proud of the way this Cat team has stepped up to the challenge. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be in the show every weekend, but there are probably 10 other guys saying that same thing, having more problems with that than us and scratching their heads wondering why. I think the Toyota teams are making good progress – there always seems to be one or two that, once they make the show run really well in the race. We’re hoping that’s the Caterpillar Racing team this week in Loudon.”
