Catchfence

Mike Bliss propelled the #40 TimVote.com Chevrolet to a 12th place and lead-lap finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series TECH-NET Auto Service 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Scheduling concerns at the venue over making up for rain the night before, and performing in the center of NASCAR racing, added pressure that the Key Motorsports easily overcame.

Bliss approached qualifying with trepidation after a hard rain the night before washed the track clean of rubber. The cautious method ensured the #40 TimVote.com Chevrolet, which was locked into the field by virtue of owner’s points, would not risk the need for a backup car at the track in the home of racing.

Much ado was made concerning two prior wins the Oregon native enjoyed at Charlotte Motor Speedway including last year’s running of this event, bringing a lot of broadcast attention to the Tim D’Annunzio’s efforts to reach Congress through his sponsorship of the #40 Chevrolet.

Starting 36th gave Mike Bliss a great view of two rapid-fire wrecks during the attempts to start the TECH-NET Auto Service 300 in the first ten laps. Through careful maneuvering the #40 TimVote.com Chevrolet appeared on the other side of both incidents without any damage. “The third time’s the charm,” held true as the Nationwide competitors achieved their first green run of over five laps following a restart with Curtis Key’s Nationwide car already up to 19th.

Ten cars were retired from the course by the 36th circuit, and seven others had been lapped by the leader. The Key Motorsports Chevrolet consistently moved up among the front-runners, gaining positions throughout the intervals on the track. The possibility of rain weighed on the minds of many teams after the halfway point, but the adverse weather never delivered on the threat.

The past Camping World Truck Series champion easily avoided two more incidents, falling one lap down during the course of the day. This was resolved with what normally would have been 4 laps to go, as the #40 TimVote.com Chevrolet had moved into the “Free Pass” position and gained the lap back to become one of only 15 cars with a chance at winning the Queen City affair.

The Key Motorsports team’s patience was tested as another incident generated a “Green-White-Checkered” finish. The opportunity provided by the three extra laps along with some persistence provided a few more positions to allow the #40 program its second-best finish of 2010. Mike Bliss moves up two positions in driver’s points and Curtis Key vaults three places in the owner’s standings to rank both in 23rd respectively.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series splits its schedule from supporting the Cup Series next week, permitting Jeff Green to return as the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet’s driver for the Federated Auto Parts 300 on Saturday, June 5th. This will be the second Nashville Superspeedway event of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

- Key Motorsports Press Release