Catchfence

September 6, 2010 (Mooresville, NC) Mike Bliss drove an unsponsored Key Motorsports Chevrolet to a 15^th place finish in the 300-mile NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday night, the second week in a row the independent team has posted a top-15 after completing the past 10 races inside the top-20. Year-long efforts by team owner Curtis Key and the members of the Key Motorsports organization to move their Nationwide program forward are producing visible on-track results.

Key Motorsports enjoyed several highlights during the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta with qualifying ranking high on the list. Bliss toured the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway at 177.057 mph in Saturday afternoon’s session to earn the 17^th starting position in the 43-car field, a major improvement over recent weeks. “We put a little more effort in qualifying,” offered Key Motorsports crew chief Gary Showalter. “We found something in practice that Mike liked and it definitely helped us.”

Veteran Bliss continued to display consistency throughout the 195-lap contest, maintaining a top-20 position in the running order for the initial seventy-five laps before making a brief appearance in the top-10 just after the 100-lap mark.  Returning to the top-20 by lap 125 after cycling through green flag pit stops, Bliss would make steady progress in the late stages, moving into 15^th during the final ten laps.

“The Key Motorsports team had a good night,” said Bliss. “We had a better qualifying run and the crew did a good job on pit road tonight. This team makes the most of everything we have to work with and they have really come together in getting these cars prepared. Gary and everybody on the team put in a great effort for the race here at Atlanta and I appreciate everything they do.”

“We ran competitively and had good pit stops for the most part,” said Showalter. “We did have a problem with an air hose on a green flag stop and that caused us to lose a lap. We were able to get our lap back and feel that probably cost us a few positions in the end. We kept our streak alive and made some headway in the points, it was a good weekend for us,”

The Key Motorsports No. 40 Chevrolet claimed the highest finishing position of an independent team at Atlanta, one of a pair of unsponsored machines in the top-15. Key Motorsports gained ground in the point battle and leaves Atlanta 20^th in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series owner point standings, two points out of 19^th.

Key Motorsports with driver Mike Bliss return to NASCAR Nationwide Series competition at Richmond International Raceway for the Virginia College Savings 250 on Friday, September 10, 2010.

- Key Motorsports, Press Release