Blaney betting on better race at Richmond
In the three races before last weekend’s Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in California, Dave Blaney failed to finish – all because of
crashes.
So while last weekend’s 29th-place finish wasn’t exactly stellar, it was better than another DNF because of an accident.
“We didn’t run as well as we hoped to last week in Fontana, but we did at least manage to get back to High Point [N.C.] with our Toyota Camry in one piece,” Blaney said. “After three wrecks in a row, that was at least something.”
Blaney and his No. 22 Bill Davis Racing team will try to build on that finish in this weekend’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway, where Blaney started 17th and finished 18h in May.
“Richmond is usually a really good place for this Caterpillar Racing team,” Blaney said. “Generally speaking, we qualify well and run pretty good too, so we’re hopeful this will be a good weekend for us.”
Blaney had his best finish at Richmond in this race two years ago, when he came home fourth. Like a lot of drivers, Blaney loves racing on the .75-mile oval.
“Richmond is a great track,” Blaney said. “There’s not a driver or a fan out there that doesn’t think that way. It’s small enough to put on a great show for the fans, but big and wide enough to be able to pass on in certain places, so the drivers are always happy with it too.
“Night racing in Richmond has always been a lot of fun, and now that it’s the last race before the start of the Chase [For The NASCAR Sprint Cup], it’s even that much more exciting for everyone.”
