MORE THAN A STRIPE ON #40 KEY MOTORSPORTS 
CHEVROLET AFTER ROYAL PURPLE 200 
PRESENTED BY O'REILLY AUTO PARTS

The “Lady in Black” gave Mike Bliss a hard slap to end the date for the NASCAR Nationwide Series event in Darlington, South Carolina. A promising evening with plenty of forward moves culminated in a 32nd place finish, after contact with a competitor while passing led to a flat tire. The unsponsored #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet was one of over a dozen teams whose night ended early.

#40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet driver Mike Bliss pauses during Friday’s activities to cater to fans before the Royal Purple 200 Presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts/Key Motorsports PR

Friday began with a foreboding event as the “Track too Tough to Tame” confirmed its reputation. A minor altercation with the wall in practice before working up to full speed belied the potential held by the weekend’s primary chassis from the organization’s fleet. The damage to the rear sheet metal was expertly repaired, preventing any need for the #40 Chevy to start at the rear of the field. In consideration of the repairs qualifying consisted of cautious laps that lead to a mid-field 25th place start.

Gary Showalter was able to once again select a pit stall that would favor long runs and pitting under green if the conditions supported that approach. Two long runs favored the #40 strategy although pit stops still came under yellow flag conditions thanks to the abundance of wrecks on the track. Driver Bliss had to avoid not only a five-car pileup but 3 other drivers experiencing trips to the SAFER barrier, and was just in front of the car that blew a tire shortly before the halfway point of the competition. While the #40 could not seem to break the magical Top-10 barrier, there were plenty of positions on the same lap with the frontrunners that held promise for a great finish.

Key Motorsports team lines up the #40 Chevrolet along pit road prior to Friday’s only practice before the Royal Purple 200 Presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts/Key Motorsports PR

“Cautions breed cautions” is one tenet recited in the garage area, and shortly after avoiding another wreck, Bliss joined in a very rough-and-tumble restart that segued immediately into 3-wide racing. Contact with the #15 while fighting for position led finally to a broken valve stem that produced a flat tire three circuits later while braking into turn 3 with the Key Motorsports Chevrolet. Bliss was on the lead lap and moving forward up to 16th at the time of the incident, but the car could not be repaired well enough to return to competition. Crew Chief Gary Showalter was humble, “I thought maybe we did something wrong with the tire until I realized the #15 cut our tire. The Lady strikes again.”

Having credit for completing only 89 laps meant the disappointed team had to accept a 32nd place finish. Curtis Key’s #40 program drops to a tie for 26th in Owner’s Points, now 69 points out of 20th.

Crew of the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet rise to the occasion during a stop in the Royal Purple 200 Presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts/Key Motorsports PR

The #40 Key Motorsports team takes their currently unsponsored Chevrolet to the “Monster Mile” Dover International Speedway next week. The Heluva Good! 200 will run on Saturday, May 15, 2010, for 200 laps around the high-banked one-mile surface.

KEY MOTORSPORTS SEEKS PARTNER FOR 
DATE WITH “THE LADY IN BLACK”

The fate of the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet will once again be trusted to driver Mike Bliss during the team’s appearance for “Showtime Southern 500 Week” in South Carolina. The unsponsored car will encounter the drama under the lights of Darlington Raceway. “Designer Attire” may still be provided for the photogenic performer.

“The red carpet treatment I got last week seems pretty appropriate for this week.” The driver’s comment alludes to the earlier resolution passed concurrently by the South Carolina Senate and House of Representatives, announcing Darlington Raceway Week in South Carolina as a week ‘Too Tough To Tame.’” The glamour, glitz and fanfare will include the aggressive performance of the Chevrolet, still in quest of a sponsor for the show.

In his history at Darlington, Oregon native Bliss attained two top-10s and a 3rd place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. That record is accompanied by a 3rd place in his only Truck Series start, and a Top-10 in the Cup Series. The team with the Truck Series past champion look to improve the #40 program’s best finish of 23rd at the track. Key Motorsports has only been to Darlington twice in Nationwide competition; once in 1997 well before the facility’s updates and recent repaving, then again last May.

Expect Friday’s activities at the “Track Too Tough to Tame” to be conducted under a mix of very warm and overcast conditions with no threat of rain. The Key Motorsports organization had no concerns in that regard, thanks to holding 24th position in owner’s standings and a guaranteed starting position.

Quotes and Facts:

DUTIFUL PLAYER GETS ANOTHER CHANCE TO PERFORM – The team is bringing back the same chassis that turned in a solid 13th place finish last week at Richmond. Crew chief Gary Showalter was “very happy with the way the car reacted to changes we made” during the course of the race.

STILL A DIVA IN GOLDEN YEARS – 2010 celebrates 60 years of competition on the paved track referred to as “Brasington’s Folly” when first proposed. The egg-shape is the result of a promise to not disturb a minnow pond, still on the west end of the property outside turn 4.

ON DARLINGTON RACEWAY - Race length: 147 Laps/200.8 Miles, Track layout: 1.366 Mile Superspeedway, Shape: Egg-shaped Oval

NATIONWIDE WEEKEND SCHEDULE - All times are EDT

Thursday, 11:00 a.m. — Haulers Enter

Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. — Final Practice; 3:10 p.m. — Qualifying; 7:30 p.m. — Royal Purple Synthetic Oil 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts

ESPN2 will provide coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Royal Purple Synthetic Oil 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts from Darlington, SC beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET, Friday, May 7, 2010.