NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Gatorade Duel 2

Topics:  Gatorade Duel

Mike Bliss
February 11, 2010

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA

KERRY THARP: We'll roll into our post race press conference. Transferring into Sunday's Daytona 500, we have Mike Bliss. He drives the No. 36 Wave Energy Drink Chevrolet.
Mike, congratulations. Take us through those final few laps, how you managed to make the transfer.
MIKE BLISS: Well, that being our backup car, never had any laps on it. I kind of actually forgot. The car felt like the other one at the start.
I had no idea what I was going to do in this race at the start. I watched the first race. The first race looked pretty calm. I thought, if it singles out like that, that would be all right. I don't think we ever got single-filed. That race was fun. It's fun 'cause I'm sitting here.
Our car was real loose in. The top was a fast line, I thought, for where we were. I got real loose about four to go and backed 'em all up. I look in the mirror, they're half a lap behind me. I knew we were all right. Went to the bottom, protected the bottom.
I can't say enough about Tommy, getting our backup car ready. It wasn't real close, but it was close enough, I guess.
KERRY THARP: We'll take questions for Mike Bliss.

Q. When you're in the car, how do you really know where you're at?
MIKE BLISS: Nobody said nothing and I didn't ask. I just knew the 90 was there. It was Casey Mears. That's how I saw him around. No one said anything. I just figured I would run as hard as I could and just whatever happens from there.
But I really didn't want to know anything else. I just wanted to -- I kind of knew who was around me. I really didn't want a lot of radio chatter.

Q. Could you give us your best prediction on how Sunday's race is going to go based on what you saw and felt and experienced out there in terms of how easy or difficult it is to pass?
MIKE BLISS: I enjoy the way it is right now. I like sliding around. If we're all just wide open, side-by-side for, you know, 500 miles, that's fun for the fans, but -- it's fun, too. But it's kind of getting into handling racetrack, who has the best handling racecar, not just all real fast.
I mean, brass balls makes a lot, too. So it just means, came down to who have the biggest huevos, whatever. However you say it in French.
It's going to be a good race. The second race was tough. I mean, there was no letting up. Nobody really got in line.

Q. Can you talk about your frame of mind after Wednesday, what happened then, getting in today.
MIKE BLISS: I was really, really upset. I still don't know why I wrecked off four because our car wasn't, like, bad. We were on stickers. I still don't know what happened. It was really disappointing. I watched Tommy and those guys work on that car from November till when they loaded it up. They worked hard on it. And this was a car that ran last year, and it just got decaled up and thrown in the trailer.
I was disappointed seeing those guys' face. Tommy is a racer and an owner. He understands racing. But he promised me that this car would be just like the other one. It was. It handled exactly like the other one.
KERRY THARP: Mike, thank you very much. Congratulations on getting into Sunday's Daytona 500.