CUP: Blaney Tied For 2010 Lead After Snapping Papis’ Streak At Daytona

Dave Blaney picked up the 17th last-place finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at the Daytona International Speedway when his unsponsored #66 PRISM Motorsports Toyota fell out with transmission problems after 4 of the race’s 166 laps.

Friday’s rained-out qualifying session left Blaney in the 43rd and final spot, having edged teammate Michael McDowell’s #55 in the Owner Point standings weeks before this race. Still without sponsorship, Blaney pulled behind the wall four laps in, followed two laps later by Max Papis, ending the Italian’s three-race streak of Cup last-place finishes. Joe Nemechek, now tied with Blaney for the 2010 lead, had acquired full sponsorship from HostGator.com and England’s Stove Works, but the car was unable to completely adjust from qualifying trim and fell out 38 laps into the race.

STATS AND FACTS
*It was the second straight year that Blaney finished last in this race driving PRISM’s #66.
*Blaney’s most recent last-place finish came back in May’s Coca-Cola 600, five races ago.
*With the finish, Blaney is now tied for the 5th-most last-place finishes in the history of the Cup Series, joining Buddy Baker, Jimmy Means, Morgan Shepherd, and Cale Yarborough.
*Other than Johnny Sauter (Dover) and Aric Almirola (California, Las Vegas), every Cup last-place finisher in 2010 was driving a Toyota.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
43) #66-Dave Blaney / 4 laps / transmission
42) #13-Max Papis / 6 laps / vibration
41) #87-Joe Nemechek / 38 laps / electrical
40) #18-Kyle Busch / 103 laps / crash / led 23 laps
39) #1-Jamie McMurray / 116 laps / crash

CUP DRIVER RANKINGS
1st) Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek (4)
2nd) Max Papis (3)
3rd) Aric Almirola, Michael McDowell (2)
4th) Robby Gordon, Johnny Sauter, Reed Sorenson (1)

CUP TEAM RANKINGS
1st) #66-PRISM Motorsports, #87-NEMCO Motorsports (4)
2nd) #13-Germain Racing (3)
3rd) #55-PRISM Motorsports, #09-Phoenix Racing (2)
4th) #7-Robby Gordon Motorsports,#32-Braun Racing, #36-Tommy Baldwin Racing (1)