Bliss replacing Lepage at Talladega
Mike Bliss will replace Kevin Lepage in BAM Racing's No. 49 Dodge, starting with this weekend's UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the team announced Tuesday.
Bliss, the 2002 Craftsman Truck Series champion, also drives for Xpress Motorsports in the truck series. He has six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes this season and ranks eighth in the point standings.
"I'm excited to have this opportunity with BAM Racing and to return to racing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series," Bliss said in a statement. "This team is making great strides in preparing for the 2007 season, and I am happy to be part of the process. As one of the few single-car teams, the challenges we face are greater than those of multicar teams but so are the rewards. I look forward to being a part of the team that is being assembled by BAM Racing."
Bliss will need to qualify for this weekend's race on speed because the No. 49 is 40th in owner points and not guaranteed a spot in Sunday's race. The No. 49 has failed to qualify for 10 races in 2006 with four drivers: Brent Sherman, Jimmy Spencer, Chris Cook and Lepage. The car's best finishes were a pair of 21sts, one by Lepage at Bristol and another by Sherman in the Daytona 500.
David Hyder recently returned to the team as crew chief, and whatsonline.com joined as sponsor.
"Our team has been in a restructuring period for weeks now," team co-owner Beth Ann Morgenthau said. "As we look to the future, we feel that Mike has the determination and enthusiasm it takes to be successful. The final races of this season are important building blocks for us, and Mike will be an integral part of our continued reorganization."
