Catchfence

2011 NSCS Dave Blaney - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Race: Good Sam Club 500
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 32 of 36
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Track Length: 2.66 miles
Date: October 23, 2011

Dave Blaney will return to Talladega Superspeedway looking to repeat the success he had in the April NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) event while driving the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet. He will join his Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) team in the Good Sam Club 500 this Sunday and look to capture a top-10 finish, so kids can eat free at Golden Corral on Monday.

CHASSIS NO. 27 – Blaney will pilot the No. 27 chassis this weekend at the Talladega, Ala., track. He most recently piloted the chassis at Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400, as well as the Daytona 500. Most notably, he drove the chassis at Talladega Superspeedway in April where he led 21 laps before a late-race spin spoiled a solid run.

MEET BLANEY AT THE OXFORD GOLDEN CORRAL – Blaney will make an appearance at the Oxford, Ala., Golden Corral located at 201 Oxford Exchange Blvd., Oxford, Ala., on Saturday, October 22nd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Golden Corral driver will be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.

TBR at Talladega:
Five NSCS Starts
Best Start: 7th | October 2010 | Dave Blaney
Best Finish: 18th | November 2009 | Robert Richardson
Laps Led: 21 | April 2011 | Dave Blaney

Last TBR Event:
Bank of America 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Blaney qualified the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet in the 35th-position for the Bank of America 500. He battled an ill-handling racecar as the TBR team worked on the setup and improved the car’s handling. By lap 287, an engine problem brought the Golden Corral Chevrolet into the garage. The team worked on the car and sent Blaney back out to access if the problem was terminal. Still having issues, Blaney retired from the race on lap 304 and finished in the 35th position in the NSCS event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Dave Blaney at Talladega:
20 NSCS Starts:
Top-Five FInishes: 1 (Oct. 2007)
Best Start: 2nd | Bill Davis Racing | Oct. 2007
Best Finish: 3rd | Bill Davis Racing | Oct. 2007
Most Laps Led: 21 | TBR | April 2011
Last Start: 35th | TBR | April 2011
Last Finish: 27th | TBR | April 2011

Other Stats:
Blaney is ranked as the eighth fastest driver on restarts at the 2.66-mile racetrack.

“Nightmares of Kids Eating Free”: Last race at Talladega, Blaney gave Kevin Harvick nightmares of kids eating free at Golden Corral while Harvick was drafting with the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet. TBR will once again compete to make that a reality this weekend. If the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet finishes in the top-10 in the Good Sam Club 500, kids eat free (with an adult purchase) on Monday, October 24th. Golden Corral will also donate $5,000 to the DAV.

Local Golden Corral Locations
201 Oxford Exchange Blvd., Oxford, Ala. | 17 mi. from TSS
1185 Center Point Pkwy, Birmingham, Ala. | 44 mi. from TSS
3117 Lorna Road, Hoover, Ala. | 52 mi. from TSS
101 Cahaba Valley Pkwy E, Pelham, Ala. | 54 mi. from TSS

Last Talladega Event: Going into the April weekend at Talladega, the No. 36 Golden Corral team had one goal: finish in the top-10 and feed American families at Golden Corral locations on Monday. TBR was poised to contend for the win for the majority of the Aaron’s 499. Dave Blaney drove the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet to the lead for 21 laps on six different occasions, before a race incident with four laps to go spoiled his hopes for a top-10 finish. The team had to settle with a 27th-place finish.

In The Points: The 35th-place finish at Charlotte kept the No. 36 team in the 32nd position in NSCS Owner Points. The team is now two points ahead of the No. 32, 73 points behind the No. 34 and locked into the top-35 by 41 points. Blaney also held onto the 32nd spot in NSCS Driver Points. He is 26 points ahead of Andy Lally in 33rd and 24 points behind Casey Mears in 31st.

Dave Blaney Quotes:
On Racing at Talladega: “I’m really looking forward to Talladega. We had a great run there in April, and it was by far the most fun I’ve had on the racetrack all year. Tommy has always had good cars at Talladega, and we will have the same car that we ran at the superspeedways this year. Daytona in July was an unfortunate day because we had an engine problem from the beginning. Other than Daytona in July, we have been really strong at superspeedways this year. Hopefully, we can get Golden Corral a top-10 finish so kids can eat free on Monday.”

Tommy Baldwin Quotes:
On This Weekend: “Obviously, we had a really good run the last time we were at Talladega. We are looking forward to finishing it off with a solid finish for both cars this time.”

Lighthouse Mission:
The Lighthouse Mission logo debuted on the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevroletat Daytona International Speedway and will be present for the entire 2011 season. TBR has teamed up to help the Long Island based charity build awareness and raise funds for Lighthouse Mission. For more information on Lighthouse Mission, visit www.lighthousemission.net.

- Tommy Baldwin Racing, Press Release