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10 Questions Open-wheeler's toast: Here's mud in your eye
Posted: Wednesday February 16, 2000 11:54 PM
If there is one man who can duplicate Tony Stewart's amazing rookie season, it's Dave Blaney. Like Stewart, the Ohioan is a former open-wheeled champion -- he won the 1995 World of Outlaws title. Blaney took time out before Wednesday's Winston Cup practice to discuss his Outlaws career, open-wheelers in NASCAR, and his colorful teammate, Ward Burton. 1. What car was the most fun to drive? The World of Outlaws sprint cars were definitely the most fun to drive. They are very powerful, very quick. They have a ton of horsepower so you have to keep your head up. 2. Does dirt ever get in your face when you drive those things? Oh, yeah. It's a dirty sport -- there's rocks and mud, too. The dust makes it really hard to see. It's all part of sprint car racing. 3. There are some rowdy fans at those Midwestern sprint car races. How are they different here? There isn't much difference really. The fans here are just as passionate about their stock cars as they are about sprint cars. They grew up with different forms of racing. 4. What do you think about the future of open-wheelers in NASCAR? There are talented drivers in every form of motorsports. A lot of them are getting chances in Winston Cup, and they are being successful. I do not know why it is happening, but there are a lot of good drivers getting their chance in Winston Cup. 5. Does that mean that NASCAR is the destination of most drivers?
When I was running the World of Outlaws, I was content to be there. I was worrying about winning the next race, not what I was doing five years from now. When you get zeroed in on something, you stick with it. This sport has the biggest everything -- the most money, so people are trying to get this way. 6. You guys wear some really cool driving suits. What is it like to wear those? That is all sponsor-driven there! You've got to get everything on those suits. As far as being comfortable, they try to make them so they breathe as much as possible. The toughest part about these cars is how hot they are inside. 7. What happens if you have got to go to the bathroom during the race? You sweat so much during the race that you sweat it all out of you. You don't even go after the race because you are dehydrated. 8. What do you eat before a race? I am not too particular what I eat before a race. You want to get fluids in your system, and for me, that means water. 9. Have you been hunting with Ward Burton yet? Nah. I am not much of a hunter. My dad loves to do that, but my brother Dale and I never did. We were into sports more. 10. You have to admit that Ward is one of the more interesting drivers in the garage. Yeah. He's a great guy. Their whole team has been great for our team. I can lean on his experience and it's great to have him.
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