Cat Racing Event Preview
Phoenix International Raceway
Subway Fresh Fit 500
Phoenix International Raceway News and Notes
Phoenix’s COT…The Car of Tomorrow will make its debut on a one-mile oval this weekend and the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota Dave Blaney is scheduled to drive in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 is COT 11. This is the same car the team ran at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and tested at Richmond International Raceway several weeks ago.
What Happened Last week…Out of the top 35 in points, Blaney and the team had to qualify on time to make it into the 334-lap event at Texas Motor Speedway. After Mother Nature intervened and strong storms passed through the area not long before the scheduled start of qualifying, the starting lineup was determined based mainly on owner points. Blaney lined up in the 40th spot on the starting grid. Once the green flag flew, Blaney drove the Cat Camry to the season’s best finish, a 21st-place effort.
Blaney’s Career Stats…Blaney will make his 243rd career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start when the green flag waves Saturday evening. He made his first career Cup Series start in October 1992 at [Rockingham] North Carolina Speedway and finished 8th after qualifying 13th for his first Cup Series start in Phoenix in 2000. Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
Blaney at Phoenix…Blaney has made eight starts on the one-mile oval during his Cup Series career, starting as high as 5th (2002) and finishing as high as 7th (2002). He has scored two top-10 finishes in Cup Series competition at Phoenix International Raceway and has qualified in the top 10 twice.
BDR at PIR…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have been racing at the Avondale, Ariz. track since 1993 and have made 21 starts. Those drivers have posted three top-10 finishes and have completed 5,920 of 6,500 possible laps (91.1 percent).
Points Position…Blaney and his No. 22 team picked up one spot in the owner point standings following last weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway. The team now sits in 38th place, 55 points outside the top 35.
Bring Your Sharpie…Blaney will sign autographs at the Caterpillar souvenir trailer Saturday afternoon. Stop by the Cat souvenir trailer or visit www.daveblaney.com for updates and additional information.
Phoenix Broadcast Schedule…Qualifying for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 is scheduled to start at 8:10 p.m. ET Thursday, April 19. The 312-mile event is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday, April 21, and will broadcast LIVE on FOX (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
Dave Blaney on Phoenix International Raceway…“We’re excited about going to Phoenix because we think our Car of Tomorrow is pretty good right now. We had a great test in Richmond a couple of weeks ago and that should really help us this week in Phoenix. We made up a little ground in the owner points last week after Texas and it was a step in the right direction, obviously, but we’re still sitting outside the top 35, which makes things a little more difficult. We’re pretty confident that we’ll be fast right off the truck Thursday, get our Caterpillar Toyota Camry in the race and then be pretty good Saturday night.”
