RIDING WITH … Dave Blaney

This week: NASCAR’s top series heads to Fontana (Calif.) for the Pepsi 500 Sunday night. Coverage on ESPN begins at 8 p.m.

Last week: The Hartford native finished 38th at the Sharpie 500 in Bristol (Tenn.) after starting the race in 36th.

Season to date: Blaney remained in 32nd place in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series points standings. He’s 30 points behind No. 31 Reed Sorensen and 36 behind No. 30 Michael Waltrip.

The Vindicator, NASCAR.com