Bliss Rolls Out of Pikes Peak with Top-Ten Finish

Fountain, CO -  Coming off two tough finishes, the #20 Spectrum Controls/Rockwell Automation Team headed to Pikes Peak International Speedway looking to get things headed back in the right direction. With a track that Mike Bliss has experienced success in the past, the team would have to work hard during the weekend, but the fruits of their labor would prove successful as they were able to score their eighth top-ten finish of the season.

On Friday the team struggled to get the handle on the car. Both practices and qualifying were a challenge as the car varied from tight to loose all throughout the day. Bliss was only able to muster the 13th quickest lap during qualifying and the final practice was not any better.

"I probably brought the wrong car this weekend," commented Crew Chief Steve Addington Saturday morning as the garage opened. "This car has shown a lot of success in the past and I really thought I could get it to work at this track. We could have brought one of our standard cars and run in the top five; however, I just hoped to bring this car and destroy the field. We had a sleepless night last night, but we are going to throw some major changes at it & see what happens."

Bliss started the race conservatively as he was not sure of the immediate handle of the race car. Running just outside the top ten, he maintained a competitive pace early while waiting for the pit stop to work on the car. On lap 34, Bliss followed the leaders to pit road for a regularly scheduled stop. Reporting the car was tight, the crew was able to make all the changes and return Bliss to the track in the 9th position. Bliss continued to run inside the top ten until another caution came out on lap 77. Faced with a difficult decision, Addington had to choose between saving a set of tires and risk a long green flag run that could put him a lap down or pit with the leaders for tires & fuel and prepare for a long green flag run. As Addington chose the latter, the crew made some major adjustments to loosen the car up. The adjustments seem to respond well and Bliss began to climb the leader board. After a long green flag run, Bliss made his final stop of the day at lap 148. Restarting the race in the 7th position, Bliss knew he would need a caution in the final 102 laps or be forced to return to pit road for a splash of fuel.

The racing was furious as drivers jockeyed for position. Addington was successful in finally getting the #20 car loosened up and Bliss continued to climb the leader board. When the final caution flag of the day flew, Bliss had climbed into the top five. As the race restarted, a car in front of him missed shift and forced the leaders to bunch up. Two cars behind him were able to pass as the #20 car got up to speed. Recovering to pick up one of those positions, Bliss would finish in the sixth position.

"After leaving the track yesterday, we were hoping to finish 15th ," said Bliss following the race. "But this crew did not give up on it. They made some great calls on the setup for today, the pit stops were excellent and the adjustments to the car helped. We just kept plugging away at it and almost came home with a top-five finish. These guys have worked really hard this weekend and deserve the credit of this finish."

With Bliss's finish, he maintained the ninth position in the NASCAR Busch Series Driver's Standings.