Blaney Blows the Lead, Not A Finisher

When Brian Vickers finished fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 and I named him Toyota's emerging star, a reader pointed out, "Um, I think the 22's the highest Toyota in points and has made the most races (even without relying on owner points)."

To that I must say, "It's not how you start the race, it's how you finish."

At the beginning of the season, Dave Blaney was the only Toyota driver with a guaranteed starting spot in the first five races. Bill Davis was the only Toyota owner with a returning team with an owner in the top 35 from last year. All the rest were new teams forced to race their way in.

What did Blaney do with such good fortune? Nada. Failed to capitalize. He maintained a top 35 spot for all of one race after finishing 34th in Daytona. Engine trouble plummeted him to 42nd position the second week of the season and he has fought his was back to hover between 36th and 37th since Bristol.

Blaney has only missed two races since being forced to qualify on time, and yet he has only one top 15 finish to show for it.

Today, even though Blaney started on the pole, it was more of the same. He did manage to hang on to the lead for several laps, but by the last one he was down a lap and strolled across the checkers in 29th.

Not gittin' 'er done. And never has. In his previous six full-time Cup seasons, he's finished in the top 20 once and averages just better than 25th.

Bill and Gail Davis are great NASCAR owners with a devoted sponsor in Caterpillar. Wouldn't it be great to see what this team could do if they had a driver who could finish better than he starts?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-02-2007 @ 2:00PM

Nathan said...

They HAD a driver who could finish better than he started.

Ward Burton.

7-02-2007 @ 5:10AM

jerry said...

As usual, your point is rather ass-backwards. Sure, Blaney's no future HOFer, but Bill Davis Racing is a second-tier Cup outfit that has only won a handful of races in his many years at the Cup level (five in fifteen to be exact). You can blame that largely on subpar drivers if you want, but mediocre equipment is the real villain of that piece and always has been. Also, a pole sitter finishing a lap down and way out of contention is not exactly a novel occurrence in NASCAR, so you should probably pay more attention to many these things before attempting to comment on or analyze them.

7-02-2007 @ 7:32AM

Upswept48 said...

Go home, Toyota. Go back to Japan. No true American wants you in NASCAR!

7-02-2007 @ 11:31AM

Lloyd said...

As a Caterpillar employee and NASCAR fan, it's very disappointing to see such low finishes or DNF's. Dave proved he's a driver in World of Outlaws, but he just doesn't seem to be at a level equal to the competition in the Cup Series. He's proved that the car itself is fast based on how he's qualified, so is it the driver, the car, the team, or the whole combined that leads to such poor finishes? I don't know, but it's discouraging to watch.

7-02-2007 @ 10:24AM

Maveness said...

*waves at upswept*

Hi, true American, born and raised here. And I LOVE my Toyota and welcome them to the sport.

Then again, I'm sure you think all "true Americans" are ignorant, racist idiots such as yourself. After all, it's perfectly fine for America to export products, but it's not fine to import. Right?

(Also? Did you even watch Schoolhouse Rocks back in the 80s? They had this nifty little jingle that talked about how America is a melting pot. We're all immigrants, whether first generation or several generations down. Only Native Americans really get to play the "we were here first" card. 'Kay?)

7-02-2007 @ 11:22AM

tallglassofmilk said...

**Also, a pole sitter finishing a lap down and way out of contention is not exactly a novel occurrence in NASCAR.**

Hardly not. That's only this week's portion of the Blaney story. Perhaps you don't think the only Toyota driver who can consistently make a race can't get a decent finish isn't worth noting. I do.

Was equipment the problem when he was driving for Childress, too? Blaney couldn't do anything with that car either, but somehow Bowyer manage to score 11 top 10s with it his first season. Not to mention that Ward Burton drove the poorly equiped #22 into victory lane a few times.

Blaney's problems are a little bigger than his equipment.

7-02-2007 @ 11:51AM

JD said...

MY god is this BAD!!! You blame Dave and dont even look at the rest of the Toyota Teams. Toyota is new to the sport regardless if it is with BDR or a new team. All Toyotas are still trying to find there place and to blame any of the drivers at this point is just plain ignorant.

7-02-2007 @ 12:09PM

Y'all are hilarious. Acting like Blaney knew how to do something with a Dodge or Chevy ...And I've talked plenty about the other Toyota drivers and some complained I ignored Blaney. It's not hard to do, but now I have acknowledged him ...

7-02-2007 @ 1:55PM

woody said...

hey, come on you guys, The Buckeye Bullet was a great in sprintcars, yes, and I was there in 1996 when he won the Knoxville Naationals. But, unlike Steve Kinser when he tried NASCAR, Blaney left no options to return to the winged sprinters if NASCAR wasn't his thing. Dave has always had to deal with pressure, no matter where he's at, from "fans" saying that he now has the top stuff and thus should win. Yes, it would be nice, but the top stuff at BDR is obviously not comprable to the top stuff at Hendrick's or DEI. I think it's sad that Dave hasn't won, but look at the Busch series. Last October, at Lowe's, he won, didn't he? Put Dave in Jeff Gordon's car, Dave would run better than he has. Dave, you are doing a great job, keep up the good work.

7-02-2007 @ 5:19PM

phil said...

Your an idoit to blame Dave Blaney your head in your--- how do you blame him for the engin going bad eletrical problems oh your right thats Blaney's fault. I Think you need to get your head out of your ---. Blaney will be in the top 35 by end of the season.

7-03-2007 @ 8:49AM

Gail said...

I TOLD YA THEM YOTA"S ARE NOT READY TO RUN WITH THE BIG BOYS YET.....GO WORK ON THEM SOME MORE BRING THEM BACK IN A FEW YEARS,THEN WE SEE HOW THEY'LL DO THEN AGIANST THESE CHEVEYS....

7-06-2007 @ 8:10PM

David S. said...

Tell me one other driver, from Gordon on down, that could drive 5 different brands in the last 10 years and still do as well as Dave Blaney. He has driven a Pontiac, Dodge, Ford, Chevy and now Toyota. This doesn't even account for all the team changes, crew and crew chief changes, etc!!