MISFORTUNE TURNS #40 KEY MOTORSPORTS’ SHINING PERFORMANCE AT PHOENIX INTO FRUSTRATION

After working his way up from a 39th starting position in the Basha’s Supermarkets 200 to well into the Top 20, Mike Bliss found himself run over by a competitor whose day had been going in the other direction. The headway that came from moving up 20 positions in just over 100 laps and earned praise as the most improved competitor to that point, was instantly erased by contact from the #61 car concluding lap 127.

Healthy improvements, during the only practice period afforded to NASCAR Nationwide Series teams on Friday, encouraged the team to expect a result similar to Mike Bliss’ previous Top-10 finishes in his last 4 Phoenix International Raceway appearances. A change in track conditions favored late qualifiers, turned a promising tentative performance into a 39th starting position. Providence allowed the team a pit stall choice that favors green-flag pit stops, but the long runs did not come until after the #40 Chevrolet exited the desert event. The unsponsored team had overcome these challenges to forge forward progress through the halfway mark and beyond.

The Key Motorsports effort spent a third of the completed laps in the Top-20 at the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway. Scored as high as 17th during the course of the event, the #40 Chevrolet was one of only 22 cars still on the lead lap when the incident occurred. Observers expressed disbelief that the spin could occur on the straightaway between turn 4 and the start/finish-line of the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway.

Bliss humbly attempted to share responsibility with competitor Josh Wise. “I was going backwards, I was real loose and, I don’t know; I guess I moved up and someone was there on the outside. The spotters can’t see on the outside. As a driver, you know that’s a problem here, so you really don’t wanna do anything like that. I guess I got caught on the right rear.” Wise, who was running two laps down, was holding off a competitor behind him for position while exiting turn four aggressively on what would become the #40 team’s last lap of the night.

The team spent over an hour attempting to make the car capable of returning to the track so that damage to Owner’s Points would be minimized but were unable to do so. The unfortunate turn of events leaves Curtis Key, Sr. listed as 32nd, 12 points behind the #61 team. Only 18 points stand between the #40 Key Motorsports program and a guaranteed starting position headed to the 1.5 mi Texas Motor Speedway, for the O'Reilly 300, on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

KEY MOTORSPORTS PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL 
RACEWAY NATIONWIDE ADVANCE

STEADY IMPROVEMENT - For the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend, the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet and driver Mike Bliss will continue to run the team colors. Look for the unsponsored car to run well in the arid desert Friday night.

"We always enjoy going to Phoenix, the race fans out there love NASCAR and we are going to have a great time." Bliss contributes 4 Top-10 finishes in 9 starts at Phoenix including a best finish of 6th. Two of those performances came in last year's spring and fall events for 9th and 8th respectively. Key Motorsports only two appearances at the track resulted in finishes of 19th and 15th in the same events. The combination of the two potent efforts holds great promise. The Oregon-born driver also recorded a win-from-the-pole in the Truck Series from 1998 at the one-mile eccentric tri-oval.

"The two different shapes for the turns at each end of the track, the dogleg on the *backstretch* and most importantly the heat in the air and on the track surface are our biggest challenges when we come here," Crew Chief Gary Showalter conveyed. "The sun will be setting as the race begins so some of that heat will go away."

Quotes and Facts:

BLISS CATERS TO PHOENIX FANS - Join Mike Bliss in the hotel lobby of the SpringHill Suites at 802 East Van Buren Street in Downtown Phoenix, on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 7:00 pm MST (Daylight Savings is not applied in Phoenix). The driver will be on hand until each fan has been accommodated.

GUARANTEED STARTING POSITON - This weekend's event at the Phoenix International Raceway is the first in which the 2010 Owner's Points is used to determined which teams are "locked-in" each race. Curtis Key's #40 Key Motorsports program holds the 27th ranking, well above the 30th place cutoff. A potential sponsor would be assured of exposure, rain or shine, by being on the hood of the team's Chevrolet.

ON PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY - Race length: 200 Laps/200 Miles, Track layout: 1-Mile Superspeedway, Shape: Oval

Nationwide Schedule: All times are MST

Thursday, 11: 00 a.m. - Haulers Enter

Friday, 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. - Final Practice; 2:10 p.m. - Qualifying; 6:30 p.m. - Bashas' Supermarkets 200

Phoenix International Raceway

ESPN coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide series Bashas' Supermarkets 200 event from Phoenix, AZ will begin at 9 p.m. ET, Friday, April 09, 2010.