Dave Blaney and the Caterpillar Racing team lined up 32nd on the starting grid after rain washed out qualifying for the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The team struggled with the handling of the car throughout Saturday evening’s event and finished the race in the 27th spot.
The No. 22 Bill Davis Racing team was scheduled to be the second of 47 teams to take to the track for qualifying Thursday evening. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. Rain blanketed the area throughout the afternoon, and NASCAR officials were forced to cancel the scheduled afternoon practice session and Thursday night’s qualifying round. The starting lineup was set by points, and the Caterpillar Racing Toyota was set to line up 32nd on the starting grid.
The green flag waved for the start of the event, and Blaney let the team know early on that the handling of the Caterpillar Camry started very loose, but got tighter as the run progressed. Blaney went one lap down to leader Tony Stewart on lap 37 of the 344-lap race. The first caution flag of the day waved on lap 44, which gave Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin the opportunity to make air pressure and track bar changes during the ensuing pit stop.
The team continued to battle handling issues, and Baldwin called for major changes during a lap 122 stop, which included four tires, fuel and track bar and wedge adjustments. Blaney took the green flag for the lap 126 restart in the 35th spot and was able to break into the top 30 just past the 200-lap mark.
The changes made to the car began to help in the closing stages of the race, and Baldwin continued to adjust the car at every opportunity. The No. 22 machine took the checkered flag in the 27th position.
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