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Hartford driver revved up for NASCAR start
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Driver Dave Blaney is gearing up for the start of the upcoming NASCAR season, which for him will start at Daytona and includes a commitment from Tommy Baldwin Racing for a full 16-race schedule.
“Blaytona,” here he comes.
The sound of his voice was an indication that 2011 should be a better year.
A chipper Dave Blaney spoke about his upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule as if he’d been fuel-injected with enthusiasm.
The optimism is predicated on a commitment for 16 full races for Tommy Baldwin Racing.
“We’re set to race all-day at 16 and we’ll go to all [36 races],” Blaney said before leaving for Daytona for open testing this weekend. “The ones we don’t get sponsorship for, we’ll have to not run all day. He’s [Baldwin] working on the rest.”
The Blaney-Baldwin alliance is the continuation of a relationship that kept both driver and owner busy the last part of 2010.
“As far as little teams go, I think Tommy’s got the best one with good equipment, good help and good people,” said Blaney, who begins his 12th full-time NASCAR season. “So, it’s a pretty good deal.
“In the 16 times the team does race, there’s a fair chance we can be really competitive.”
Blaney will take a seat in the No. 36 Chevy, a car in which he had six starts last season. The Hartford native isn’t sure of the status of Steve Park, a driver used by Baldwin last year.
“I don’t believe Steve’s going to race, but I don’t know,” Blaney said. “Tommy took two cars, at times, last year, so there’s no saying he won’t do that sometimes with other drivers, but I’m not sure of those plans.”
Although Daytona testing started Thursday, Blaney will test only today and Saturday.
“We think we’ve got a really nice car for down there,” he said. “It’s the only time we get to test.”
Blaney said he has no contract, but it’s not unusual.
“It’s pretty informal,” Blaney said. “When there are no big sponsors involved, a lot of times, it’s more of a handshake deal or whatever you want to call it. But when the big sponsors get involved, that’s when everyone tries to protect themselves and do contracts.”
Blaney will watch his son, Ryan, race in Georgia on Jan. 28-29, then head back to Daytona the following weekend to start Speedweeks.
“It’s two different weekends,” Blaney said of Speedweeks. “The first weekend, they have the Budweiser Shootout and qualifying for the 500 and maybe an Arca race.
“We’ll be on the track Friday and Saturday and then the Bud Shootout is Saturday night. Qualifying is on Sunday, then the track is shut down the following Monday and Tuesday.
“Then it starts up again and those qualifying races are the next Thursday and the 500 is Sunday [Feb. 20],” Blaney said. “You’re usually there for 10 days, but a couple the track is closed down, so you don’t even get on it, so it works out to about every other day.”
The 16 races aren’t fully funded, but, between partners and sponsors, Baldwin found a way.
“Are we going to put brand new tires on during every pit stop like the big teams do? Maybe, maybe not,” Blaney said. “So we can still run good. Maybe you’re a few crew guys short, but you just do what you can do with what you’ve got.
“Tommy wouldn’t race if he didn’t have enough resources to do it right. That’s pretty impressive. It takes a lot of help and a lot of money from partners and I’m glad he can get it done.”
Although the start-and-park days aren’t completely in the past, Blaney’s outlook is definitely brighter.
“The last two seasons, I didn’t get to race much,” said Blaney, 48.
This year, we’re starting off with more races committed.”
Blaney’s association with Baldwin goes back to his first year in the Cup series in 2000.