Bliss cites sponsorship issues in team change

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Thursday, April 03, 2008

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Mike Bliss is ready to begin driving for James Finch’s Phoenix Racing team, which is ranked 22nd in owners points, instead of the Fitz Motorsports team ranked eighth.

Bliss is fifth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver points but says he felt like he had to make the move heading into the seventh race of the 35-race Nationwide Series schedule. Bliss, the 2002 Craftsman Truck Series champion, had driven for Fitz in 23 races last year.

The Fitz Motorsports car could still use sponsorship for about 10 races, but team owner Armando Fitz has pledged to run the entire season.

“It was a tough, tough decision because we were running good,” Bliss said. “It was a personal move for myself. I wasn’t too sure we were going to run all the races.

“I came into it thinking we were going to run all the races, but we really didn’t have the money to run all the races. James Finch’s deal kind of opened up, and it fell together real quick.”

Bliss said he is working pretty much on a handshake deal with Finch, whom he has never driven for before.

Bliss compared the situation at Phoenix Racing to that of Fitz Motorsports a little more than a year ago when it had several cars that were built differently, and it took a while for the team to find a setup they liked and conform all the cars to it.

“They’ve got everything there to work with, they’ve just got to find what they want or what the driver wants or what they can work around as far as cars and bodies and setups,” Bliss said. “It’s not something that can be changed overnight. But it’s got the potential to be just as good as the 22 [at Fitz].”