No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger Preview - Dover
September 26, 2012
• This Week's Challenger... Ryan Blaney and the Penske Racing Discount Tire Dodge Challenger team will use chassis PRS-213 during Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway. This chassis was raced at Bristol and Iowa (spring) earlier this year.
• The No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger in 2012... Following 27 points-paying events, the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge is currently ranked seventh in the NNS owner point standings following a ninth-place finish last weekend at Kentucky Speedway with Ryan Blaney behind the wheel.
• New face of Penske Racing... This weekend will mark Blaney's fourth race competing in the No. 22 Dodge Challenger with Penske Racing. He's earned top-10 results in races at Iowa, Richmond and Kentucky this season. Blaney comes from a long line of racing heritage, following in the footsteps of his father, Dave Blaney, the former World of Outlaws champion and current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. Blaney has been hailed as one of NASCAR's most promising young talents and he is a welcome addition to the Penske Racing lineup.
• A Family Tradition... The history behind the No. 22 is deeply rooted within the Blaney family. Not many father-son duos can say that they have raced the same car number, but Dave and Ryan Blaney now share that tradition. Dave made a record 104 starts in the No. 22 under Bill Davis Racing before Penske Racing acquired the number at the end of the 2009 season. This weekend Ryan will continue to add to the family tradition and proudly carry on the history of the No. 22 entry.
• First Time for Everything... With a total of 20 NASCAR series career starts, Blaney has yet to compete at Dover International Speedway. During the 2012 season, Blaney has earned a total of 12 top-15 starts and 12 top-15 finishes in 17 NASCAR Series starts.
• Double Duty Weekend... In addition to piloting the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge, Blaney is also entered in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-East (NKNPS-E) race. Driving the No. 10 Seal Wrap/Heavy Duty Toyota owned by his father, Dave Blaney, Ryan will make his debut at Dover International Speedway during the NKNPS-E on Friday afternoon in the American Real TV 150. Ryan has recorded four top-10 finishes in six career starts in the NKNPS-E.
• #PenskePride...Penske Racing is asking fans to show their Penske Pride through a unique social media contest that will last for the balance of the 2012 season. Through the #PenskePride contest, each race weekend fans will Tweet @PenskeRacing pictures showing their support of the Penske Racing organization, their favorite Penske Racing driver(s) or teams in unique and creative ways, using the hashtag #PenskePride. The best weekly photo will be named Fan Photo of the Week. At the end of each month, a Fan Photo of the Month will be selected from the weekly winners. The best monthly photos will be voted on by @PenskeRacing followers to be named Fan Photo of the Year. The winner of Photo of the Year will receive the Ultimate Penske Racing Fan Experience including tickets and hot passes to the 2013 NASCAR All-Star Race, autographed items and a tour of the Penske Racing facility with a Penske driver.
Ryan Blaney on his debut at Dover International Speedway
"I'm looking forward to getting my feet wet at Dover this weekend. Being that it's a track I have yet to visit, I'm fortunate that I will have the opportunity to race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race Friday afternoon. I know that the Discount Tire Team and Jeremy Bullins have worked hard this week to get the car ready. We had a good run last weekend at Kentucky Speedway and having the consistency of running back-to-back weekends will hopefully pay off for us."
Crew chief Jeremy Bullins on this weekend's race at Dover International Speedway
"We had a good run last week in Kentucky. We fought a loose-handling condition all race but Ryan fought hard to bring home a top 10 finish for our Penske Racing Dodge Challenger. With Ryan never making a lap around Dover, it's great that he will get some seat time during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Friday afternoon. The whole team has worked hard in preparing for this weekend's race and we're looking forward to bringing home a consistent finish. "