Blaney hopeful entering season

The Trumbull County native is driving for Bill Davis
Racing.

VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT

HIGH POINT, N.C. — If the testing sessions are any indication, Dave Blaney has good reason to be optimistic about his chances in the upcoming Daytona 500.

“The testing went really [well],” said Blaney, a Hartford native who begins another NASCAR season as a driver for Bill Davis Racing.

“All the Toyotas were pretty quick and we felt like ours was as quick as any of them or better. So we really think we’ve got a shot to qualify up front and race up front. We feel good about the Daytona car.”

The 500 on Feb. 17 will be Blaney’s 269th start in NASCAR’s premier division, this year known as the Sprint Cup, after having previously gone by sponsorships such as Nextel Cup and Winston Cup.

For his Cup career, Blaney’s winnings are $20,994,136.

Again, Blaney will drive the Caterpillar No. 22 for BDR.

“It looks just a little bit different, but not much from last year,” Blaney said of the Camry, which now has a Car of Tomorrow design — like the rest of the Cup field.

The Car of Tomorrow is full-time this year.

“It’s the same as COT races from last year, except that it’s going to be run everywhere,” Blaney said.

The COT design gives NASCAR better control in its guard against modification infractions.

“It’s easier for NASCAR to keep these cars more equal, as far as the body and some of the rules,” Blaney said. “They’re a little stricter on what we can get away with; that’s the main reason for going to it — that and they are a little bit safer.”

Performance-wise, nothing has changed.

“It still comes down to the same thing as far as horsepower, handling and aerodynamics,” said Blaney. “There are still plenty of areas to gain an advantage over the other teams and vice-versa.”

Blaney’s Cat 22 team has most of its crew intact, with Tommy Baldwin as crew chief.

“We lost two guys — one of the head mechanics and an engineer — who went to the Waltrip team.”

Blaney owes his Daytona spot to gritty racing and good fortune in the 2007 season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.

Blaney entered the Ford 400, Blaney stood 35th, a very pivotal position in the owners’ points.

However, Blaney’s 12th-place finish assured him of some security to start 2008.

Based on a 34th-place standing, Blaney and the No. 22 were locked in for the first five races this season.

“That’s a huge thing,” the drivers said of the guarantee. “If you go to Daytona not being locked in, that’s tough. You’ve got to race well in the qualifying races, but anything [unfortunate] can happen. You’d hate to miss the Daytona 500. It’s a big relief knowing we’re in the first five.”

Blaney, however, wouldn’t be too pleased if his first few races of 2008 are a replay of 2007.

“Last year, we kind of stumbled in those first five,” he said of three DNFs, which included a blown engine and an accident that resulted in the completion of only 315 laps of 719 scheduled.

“So we’re going to take advantage of the first five this year and get off to a good start,” he said.

Blaney’s teammate will be Jacques Villeneuve, a former Formula One driver from Canada. He’ll drive BDR’s second cup car — No. 27.

They’re separate cars, but they have the same owner and the same group of guys taking care of them.

Bill Davis Racing also has Craftsman Truck Series entries in Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner and rookie Philip McGilton

BDR, however, is running 10 ARCA RE/MAX races with Michael Annett behind the wheel.

Blaney raced in the Busch Series last season and even made a rare start in the Craftsman Trucks Series at Homestead.

At this time, BDR doesn’t have plans to run in any Nationwide (former Busch) races, even though Blaney won his first lower-tier event on Oct. 13 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Instead, he’s concentrating on the Sprint Cup schedule.

Based on Thursday’s draw, Blaney is 19th in the lineup for today’s Bud Shootout, a pre-500 week event on Saturday night for all of last year’s pole winners.

Blaney earned his pole in the Lenox 300 at Loudon, New Hampshire in July.

For now, Blaney feels good about 2008.

“I think we made ourselves better. I feel like we improved our team a little bit everywhere. But everybody’s got that same goals, so you don’t know where you stack up until you go out and race a few.”