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Daytona: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dave Blaney Review

Jul 07, 2008

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After qualifying in the 12th spot for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, the Caterpillar Racing team hoped for a good handling race car, a strong engine and a little luck during the Fourth of July weekend restrictor plate race at the “World Center of Speed.” Driver Dave Blaney worked with through several multi-car incidents to bring home a top-20 finish for the team.

The No. 22 Bill Davis Racing team was the 21st of 45 teams to take to the track for qualifying Friday afternoon. Blaney posted a speed of 184.653 mph during the second lap of his two-lap run around the 2.5-mile oval, which earned the team the 12th starting position for Saturday night’s event. All 43 cars that made the field were impounded immediately after their qualifying runs, and teams were not allowed to make changes to them before the race.

Blaney took the green flag for the start of the second visit to Daytona this season. He let crew chief Tommy Baldwin know early on that the Bill Davis Racing Toyota Camry was loose on the bottom of the racetrack. The first caution flag of the day waved on lap 21, and Baldwin made plans for a track bar adjustment during the first pit stop. Blaney drove down pit road to the attention of his awaiting crew. The veteran crew changed four tires and filled the tank with fuel in lightning quick time, gaining Blaney five positions on the track.

Blaney restarted on lap 25 and made all the right moves in the draft. The No. 22 Toyota held the second place for several laps and remained in the top five until the car again became much too loose. Though Blaney stood outside the top 25 at the halfway point of the event, the crew wasn’t worried; it continued to make adjustments to the car throughout the night. The Caterpillar Camry took off like a rocket for the first 10 to 15 laps of a run before it became much too free. Blaney did a good job of avoiding several incidents that took place in front of him, and at one point he mentioned to his crew that he was “getting a good view of them all.” With 15 laps remaining in the event, Blaney held the 15th place.

It seemed the last 15 laps of the event were the hardest to complete. Caution after caution made it difficult to plan ahead in the draft and bunched the cars dramatically. Though lucky thus far, the team’s good fortune ran out in the closing laps. Blaney was involved in a multi-car incident on lap 158, which caused minor damage to the Camry. Blaney had no place to go when several cars ahead of him got together on the final green/white/checkered flag restart. The BDR machine suffered heavier damage that time around, but Blaney was able to complete the race and nurse the No. 22 machine around to take the checkered flag in the 19th position.

The Caterpillar Racing team will travel to Chicagoland Speedway next weekend for the Lifelock 400.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule