| | | | | | UNDER THE (BAD) WEATHER | Bliss: Standby for sick Blaney | |
| | By Bob Pockrass / SceneDaily.com HAMPTON, GA -- A sick Dave Blaney got out of the car during the Sprint Cup Series practice Saturday and Mike Bliss turned some laps in case he has to drive Sunday in a relief role in the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Blaney is 36th in the Sprint Cup points standings and would get the points if he starts the Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday.
“[We wanted] to get him accustomed to what we’re working on so he will be kind of ready,” crew chief Tommy Baldwin said after practice Saturday. “[Blaney] will start the race, and we’ll have Bliss standing by.”
Bliss pretty much shook down the car to give the team some feedback at the end of the test.
“We’ll have to wait and see what happens and how Dave feels tonight,” Baldwin said. “They’re pumping IVs in him, and they’re going to keep him there probably for a while. Hopefully he feels better and will do a good job for us tomorrow.
“He’s been sick over a week. He was sick in Vegas [last week]. Sick in Phoenix [for the test]. We’ve been running him pretty hard while he’s been sick.”
Bliss, a former Craftsman Truck Series champion who has 81 career Cup starts and is driving this year for Fitz Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, is about four or five inches taller than Blaney but they have similar builds, making Bliss a good fit for the BDR seat.
“The size – it’s quick he can get in the car,” Baldwin said. “That was the first time [we worked with Bliss]. It was good.”
The team needs a good run as it is currently 36th in owners points with just two races left before this season’s points are used to determine locked-in positions going into each race weekend.
| | Posted March 08, 2008 , 6:16 pm EST
Last Updated March 08, 2008 , 6:17 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
