 | | Dave Blaney: "I like steak places, seafood places, Italian." Credit: Autostock |
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
June 7, 2005
01:47 PM EDT (17:47 GMT)
Former World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Dave Blaney is currently in the best opportunity of his NASCAR career, driving the No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. During a break in pre-season testing at Daytona International Speedway, Blaney sat down to answer 10 questions not specifically directed at his racing career. 1. What's your dream vehicle that you don't already own? Dave Blaney: My dream vehicle would be a helicopter that I pay the price of a Volkswagen for. Q: With all the aviation opportunities you guys have, it sounds like you've done a few helicopter rides? Dave Blaney: Yeah, but I just didn't want to pay for them. 2. If time on the road weren't an issue, what would be your ideal pet? Dave Blaney: I'm not much of a pet guy. If you had a lot of time to spend at home, a good dog is a great pet -- but you've got to have a lot of time for 'em. Q: Do you favor any particular breed or size of dog? Dave Blaney: Big, outside dogs -- Labradors. 3. What's your pet peeve driving on the road?  |  | | "I remember having a couple rough moments with Earnhardt Jr. early on." |
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Dave Blaney: Slow guys in the left lane. Or slow women in the left lane -- I'm not sure, most of the time I think it's women (laughing). I'm making fun of my wife, here (laughing) -- not all women. Q: Have you figured out a solution for that -- and please don't say the median or the breakdown lane? Dave Blaney: No, they should make -- no, I'm not going to say it. I'd get in more trouble. 4. Racing means travel, so what is your worst hotel experience? Dave Blaney: I don't know. I've had stuff stolen out of hotels and you just wonder who's in there, when and all that. But not having a hotel is worse sometimes and sleeping in that car is sometimes worse than having a bad hotel room. 5. What's your favorite food? Dave Blaney: I've got a lot of favorite foods, as you can see. I don't shy away. |  | | Credit: Autostock |
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Q: Where do you like to eat the most, on the road? Dave Blaney: I don't have a favorite. I like steak places, seafood places, Italian. I like to sample 'em all. Q: So the depth and breadth of places the Nextel Cup Series goes is perfect for you in terms of finding new hot spots? Dave Blaney: Yeah, but then, I don't ever leave the motorhome. I stay there most of the time, anyway. I'm too lazy to go find food. 6. If you had to choose, would it be being honest or being nice? Dave Blaney: Honest. Q: You find that comes around a little bit better? Dave Blaney: Yeah -- every time. 7. What's your fondest childhood memory? Dave Blaney: Watching my dad race. We grew up doing a lot of that. Watching him race, watching him win and watching the way he drove, and the way he won. Those were good memories. Q: How did the fans react to him winning all the time? Dave Blaney: He was most all the time a fan favorite. For a lot of years he won more than anybody, and was still a fan favorite. So that was kind of an odd combination, but it was pretty good. 8. What would be your dream date: Where and with whom? Dave Blaney: Dream date (laughing)? |  | Dave Blaney | |
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Q: Politically correct is all right, here. Dave Blaney: I don't know -- I want to do it right, but I just can't single it out. I'd probably say going out somewhere with Courtney Cox. I kind of like her, but I don't know -- I'm not much of a fantasy guy. Q: Was it a bleak day when Friends went off the air? Dave Blaney: No. There's re-runs. 9. Thinking of your Outlaw career particularly, what is the worst prank that you either perpetrated or had played on you? Dave Blaney: I can't remember any good ones that I did. I remember, early in my career we went to Florida racing, and had an open trailer. We went in to eat somewhere and one of the guys that I was racing with came into the place behind us. They unloaded my car off the trailer and rolled it into the bushes somewhere. So we came out thinking it was stolen. That was a pretty good one. 10. What would you consider your "Welcome to NASCAR moment?" Dave Blaney: I don't know. Boy, I got beat around a lot when I first came into NASCAR. You kind of expect it. You don't enjoy it, but it's part of what you go through. I remember having a couple rough moments with Earnhardt Jr. early on. We had a couple of them, but that's part of it. I know when new guys would come into Sprint Car racing; I'd make it as hard on them as I could, so there's both sides to that. | 
