Mike Bliss pieces together fifth-place season racing for several teams
Mike Bliss competed for several teams en route to a fifth-place finish in the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
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Mike Bliss had a rather eventful 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.
He opened the year competing for Phoenix Racing but parted ways with that team later in the season. He then drove for a succession of teams, including MSRP Motorsports, Nemco Motorsports, MacDonald Motorsports, Key Motorsports and CJM Racing before closing the season where he started it - driving for Phoenix Motorsports in the final race of the year.
Bliss, who somehow still managed to finish fifth in the series standings, admitted the year was a bit of a wild ride.
“It was the highs and lows," he said in describing his year. "We won Charlotte and had some good runs. We had runs, and then I was left without a ride, sitting there on a Monday trying to figure out what I was going to do. Just did a couple start-and- parks to maybe stay in the top-10 in points. I drove a lot of cars, met a lot of people, it was kind of fun.
"It was actually a fun year the way it’s ending now."
Bliss won a race and earned 15 top-10 finishes, seven of them top-fives, for the year.
As he looks back, he admits that he was actually pleased with the outcome of the year.
“Oh, yeah, and really I couldn’t have done it without driving the CJM car, the 11 Nationwide car," he said of his finish. "I had some good finishes and some good runs with them, and that’s what really helped me out a lot. Without them, I probably wouldn’t be here today in this situation.”
And next year? Bliss is back in the same boat, looking for a ride. He says he doesn't know what his future holds, but perhaps his ability to persevere through the 2009 season will show teams how well the 44-year-old can handle adversity and adjust to new circumstances quickly.
"We don’t have anything," Bliss said. "I don’t have anything. There are some teams I’m talking to.”
Driver: Mike Bliss
Age: 44
Team: Primarily Phoenix Racing
Finishing position: Fifth
2009 stats: 1 win, 7 top-fives, 15 top-10s
Years in Nationwide: 5 full-time seasons in last 7 years
Career stats: 178 starts, 2 wins, 27 top-fives, 67 top-10s, 3 poles
