BLISS: Former NCTS Champion Covers for Lia at Daytona
02-11-2008 1:02 pm
TRG Motorsports is happy to announce that the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, Mike Bliss, will pilot the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado on Friday, February 15th at Daytona International Speedway. The announcement comes only hours after TRG Motorsports named Donny Lia their full-time driver in 2008, starting with the 100-lap San Bernardino County 200 at California Speedway on February 23rd. Lia, who is the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion, has not obtained the final clearance by NASCAR to compete in the high-speed chess match at Daytona's 2.5-mile tri-oval, leaving the seat open for Bliss to fill. "I'm happy to help the guys at TRG Motorsports," said Bliss, who will already be in Daytona Beach, Fla. for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race. "When I got the call, I jumped at the chance to get back behind the wheel of a truck again. Daytona is always an exciting race and I am looking forward to racing the No. 71 Chevrolet for TRG Motorsports." "We are excited that Mike has agreed to drive the No. 71 Chevrolet at Daytona," said Team Principal, Kevin Buckler. "When we were looking at the available drivers for the race, Mike was the perfect fit. He is a proven veteran and great competitor and will be able to offer a lot of advice to his weekend teammate, Andy Lally, who will be racing at Daytona for the first time." Bliss, a native of Milwaukie, Oregon, has several accolades to his name including 13 wins in the Truck Series, 61 top-five, and 107 top-ten finishes in 192 starts. In addition, Bliss has sat on the pole 18 times over the course of his 10-year career in the Truck Series. "We are very fortunate to have a driver of Mike's caliber race for us at Daytona," said General Manager, Marty Gaunt. "Mike has been one of the most successful drivers in the Truck Series since he began racing a truck in 1995 and we welcome him onboard." Bliss has three NCTS starts as the high, wide, and fast tri-oval, posting his best qualifying effort of third in 2002. Bliss' overall best performance at the historic track came in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) in 2004 when he sat on the pole for the Winn-Dixie 250, led 22 laps, and finished 5th overall. He has a total of seven NNS starts at Daytona and five in the Sprint Cup Series. Bliss and the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet will hit Daytona for the Chevy Silverado 250 on Friday, February 15th at 8 p.m. ET. Live television coverage will be provided by the SPEED Channel with radio coverage coming to you live from MRN Radio.