Conversation: Dave Blaney

JOLIET, Ill. - Richard Childress Racing's No. 30 team has been an enigma in the Nextel Cup garage area.

AUDIO CLIPS Listen to the Conversation! / 6:46 Listen

While RCR's other two teams have been able to win races and run up front, the No. 30 car continues to struggle, no matter who is behind the wheel.

Jeff Green was the first full-time driver in 2002, and while he had four top-five finishes that year, Green was gone 11 races into 2003. Steve Park didn't do any better, and after Childress went after some big guns, Johnny Sauter got the ride.

That didn't last long, either, and after 13 races, Childress turned to veteran Dave Blaney. Blaney had done yeoman's work in Bill Davis Racing's second car, posting a pair of 11th-place finishes in six races.

Blaney recently spoke with NASCAR.COM's Lee Montgomery about the ride and his prospects for the future.

First of all, how did this deal with RCR come about? Are you looking at it as any kind of tryout with these guys?

Blaney: Well, sure. I think we just agreed to go for a while here, and if everybody's happy, we'll keep on going. This whole year, every week's been kind of an audition for me.

We've been kind of part-time and running here and there. But I don't really like that. Things are going well here. I think we're gaining every week, getting a little better, a little better. It's going real well.

Do you feel any pressure any more to perform in this ride, just because it is a race-to-race thing?

Blaney: There's pressure to run well here every week, no matter what ride you're in. There are lots of guys out here looking to get a ride in a Nextel Cup car. Yeah, you've got to run well every chance you get and do your best.

As a veteran who's been around a little bit, what are some things you like over here, maybe compared to some other teams? What are some stuff RCR's doing well?

Archive  Conversation

Blaney: Obviously, it's one of the premier teams on the circuit, as far as the success they've had, the people they've got in place, the sponsor in place, the resources they've got behind them.

This team, especially, has got veteran guys all the way around: Kevin Hamlin - very good, very experienced. Just a great team to step in to.

For some reason, the 30 car hasn't run that well the past two or three years or whatever. Have you seen anything you can put your finger on as to why that is? And what can be done to fix that?

Blaney: I don't know of anything. Just looking at it from a distance, racing against them, they've had quite a few drivers and quite a few crew chiefs mixed in.

Hopefully, we can settle in here and keep building what we've got. The equipment's all laying there. All the stuff's laying there to get the job done. We just need to put it together.

Is really a communication issue? Maybe it takes all drivers and crew chiefs awhile to go get going.

Blaney: It's communication. It's hard to explain. You need to get a feel for each other. If I say something, OK, how much of that do I need? What kind of increments are we talking about?

It's just timing and increments. It's just small little things that make the difference out here. There's not a whole of difference from a guy running fifth to a guy running 25th, time-wise or anything. It's very small, little things that make the difference.

Is it fair for people to expect you guys to run like Kevin (Harvick) and Robby (Gordon)? Or do you expect to do that?

Blaney: We expect to run just as well as they do. We expect to beat them every week. There's no reason we can't. I'm not going to make excuses about anything.

I've got equipment similar to what they've got, and we've got access to everything they've got. We want to run well, we want to help the other teams run well if we can. With information, they'd do the same. Yeah, the goal is to make all three run well.

Kevin and Robby are pretty flamboyant and have clashed in the past. You're kind of laid-back. How has it been working with them and dealing with them?

Blaney: It's been fine. I like both of those guys. I've never had any problems with them. I don't have problems with too many guys. I don't get too worked up about a lot of things. They're good racers, they're hard racers. That's what you need here.

Did you and Bill Davis part on good terms? How did that go?

Blaney: Well, I don't know. I hope so. It was kind of a heart-wrenching deal to leave out of there. He did a lot, spent a lot and sacrificed a lot so we could go out and run, so we could, hopefully, attract a sponsor over there.

But I think he knew all along that if something came up like this, I was going to have to look at it. I knew that if a driver came, sponsor in hand, he was going to have to look at it for his team. Tough deal for both of us.

You've got to do what's best for Dave Blaney.

Blaney: Well, ultimately, yes. But you've got to do the right thing, too. Like I said, it was just a tough decision.

2004 Nextel Cup Series  Results  Standings  Schedule  Tickets  Drivers  Crew Chiefs  Teams  Statistics  Video Highlights  Best 25: Last 6 races  Best Starts by Driver  Best Finishes by Driver

Q: Your fans have really been behind you a lot, especially this year. They've really helped out a lot. What does that mean to you?

Blaney: It's pretty flattering. I've been around awhile. Most of my fans are people who come from my sprint car days, following that. It's flattering that people care that much about it or be willing to sacrifice time or money or whatever to see a race. Pretty humbling.

How are things at Sharon Speedway? Have you been up there lately?

Blaney: I have been there a few times this summer. I'm scheduled to go a few more. It's going well. We've made a lot of improvements over the winter, and the fans and racers seem to enjoy it.

Like any other short track, it's a tough business to stay ahead of, but it's going OK. It's fun.

Are you going to ever drive there? Maybe a little home-track advantage?

Blaney: I don't think so. I am going to run there a little bit. Right now, I think we're going to run the World of Outlaw race there on July 28, I guess it is. I haven't run a World of Outlaw race in about seven years, so it could be ugly. But I think I'm going to give it a whirl.

Your brother Dale is a basketball player, and you probably played basketball. Can you beat him in H-O-R-S-E?

Blaney: If he shoots left-handed, maybe. I don't know. It used to be a pretty even match until about eighth grade, maybe. Then he kind of took over. We enjoyed that.

I enjoyed watching him play when he went on to play college ball. It's a fun time to watch a guy that's got a lot of talent and is good at a sport like that.

Do you play anymore? Do you mess around, shoot hoops anytime?

Blaney: I still play with the kids. My daughter and my son both like to play, so we fool around in the back yard, but I'm too old to get real serious.

How many more races are you in this car? Is it a certain amount? Or is it until whatever?

Blaney: That's up to the boss. Ask Richard. Like I said, I think if everybody is happy, we'll keep going. We really haven't talked about it since we've run. We're just trying to race a little here.