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Dave Blaney's Pocono Preview

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Race: Pocono 500
Location: Pocono Raceway
Date: June 8th, 2008

Pocono Raceway Notes
  • Pocono’s Ride…The Caterpillar Racing team plans to utilize chassis No. 40 for the Pocono 500 this weekend at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.  This is the same car the team utilized at both Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.  The team also tested this car on the 2.5-mile tri-oval for two days last week.
  • Last Week…The No. 22 Bill Davis Racing team qualified for the Best Buy 500 in the 18th spot and settled into the top 15 not long into the 400-lap race.  Blaney, making his 14th start at The Monster Mile, took the checkered flag in the ninth spot.  The top-10 effort was the second in three weeks for the team and the fourth consecutive finish of 18th or better.
  • Moving on Up…The Caterpillar Racing team has made its way from the 39th position in the owner point standings following the race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway to 30th after last week’s ninth-place finish at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
  • Blaney’s Career Stats…Blaney will make his 281st career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start when the green flag waves for the 500-mile event Sunday afternoon.  He made his first career Cup Series start in October 1992 at [Rockingham] North Carolina Speedway and finished 11th (qualified 29th) for his first Cup Series start in Pocono in 2000.  Like this weekend, Blaney was aboard a Bill Davis Racing-owned machine.
  • Blaney at Pocono…Blaney has made 16 Cup Series starts at 2.5-mile track during his career.  The veteran driver has started as high as 14th (2006) and has finished as high as 9th (2002).  Blaney has scored two top-10 and three top-15 finishes at the Pennsylvania track in his Cup Series career.
  • BDR at Pocono…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have been racing at Pocono Raceway since 1993 and have made 39 starts.  BDR drivers have one pole position and top-10 finish at the track.
  • Testing …The No. 22 Bill Davis Racing team tested at Virginia International Raceway Tuesday to prepare for the upcoming road course event at Infineon (Sonoma, Calif.) Raceway.  The team also has scheduled a two-day test at the Milwaukee Mile for next Tuesday and Wednesday.
  • Dirt Track Dreaming…Blaney is scheduled to compete in Wednesday’s Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.  He is one of several drivers who have participated in the Prelude each year and nearly won the event two years ago battling with Tony Stewart in the closing laps for the victory.  Blaney has three additional dirt track races scheduled for June.
  • Bring Your Sharpie…Look for Blaney to stop by the Caterpillar/Toyota Racing merchandise hauler to sign autographs this weekend.  Please check with the trailer for exact times.
  • Pocono 500 Broadcast Schedule…Qualifying for the event is scheduled to start at 3:40 p.m. ET Friday, June 6.  The 200-lap event is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, June 8, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Blaney’s Thoughts on Pocono…

“Our Pocono test went well, so we’ll just head back that way this week and try to do the same things we’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks to get another good finish.  We’ve come a long way in the past month and a half.  It wasn’t that long ago we were in a pretty precarious position as far as the points go, and it’s still a pretty close race for 25th on back, but we always knew that if we could get to the track and perform the way we knew we were capable of, then the points situation would take care of itself as long as we stayed out of trouble along the way.  I’m really proud of this Bill Davis Racing team.  We’ve done a ton of testing lately and it’s all starting to pay off.  This whole racing thing has started to be fun again for everyone on this Caterpillar Racing team and we’re looking forward to getting to the track this weekend.”

Dave Blaney - Pocono Raceway