[ Bliss catches leaders and a break to win in KC ]

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 7, 2002 by Rick Peterson Capital-Journal

Bliss catches leaders and a break to win in KC

The Associated Press

Mike Bliss holds his trophy after winning Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Kansas Speedway.

See BLISS, page 7D

Bliss: Craftsman Truck series driver makes most of opportunity

By Rick Peterson

The Capital-Journal

KANSAS CITY --- A 360-degree turn in fortune resulted in Mike Bliss' ninth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory Saturday at Kansas Speedway.

Bliss, who fell from first to 10th after a pit mishap on lap 107, regained the lead on lap 164 of the 167-lap race when Rick Crawford broke and Bliss cruised home ahead of Dennis Setzer and Coy Gibbs for the win in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250, pocketing $46,350.

Bliss, a 37-year-old native of Milwaukee, Ore., was strong early in the race before going off without a lug nut after a pit stop. That foulup left Bliss well off the pace, but he picked his way back through the field until he was third behind Crawford and pole-sitter Jason Leffler.

That's when fate smiled on Bliss, with first Leffler and then Crawford falling out of contention. Leffler got out of the groove and gave up his position when he slid up the track, and Crawford had his rear end filter give out, ending his bid for his first victory in more than four years.

"We had misfortune in the pits --- we left a lug nut off and had to come back down pit road and put it on --- but I knew we had a good truck all day," Bliss said. "When I went to the back it gave me a little fire in my belly."

Bliss, a former Winston Cup driver, admitted that he benefitted from the problems of Crawford and Leffler late in the race, but figured that he was due for some good luck.

"Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not, and we just happened to be in the right spot," said Bliss, who led three times for a total of 14 laps. "We've had a good truck and been taken out before, too. I'd rather have luck than anything else."

Bliss, who started fourth in his No. 16 IWX Motor Freight/Knights Inn Chevrolet, won by 1.638 seconds over Setzer, who started ninth.

"Mike Bliss was very good," Setzer said. "I didn't have much for him. We were fortunate to get second. We were running fourth there with three or four laps to go and finished second, so we're pretty happy."

Gibbs, son of former NFL coach and car/truck owner Joe Gibbs, finished 2.253 seconds behind Bliss, ahead of Leffler and season points leader Ted Musgrave.

Crawford led on three different occasions for a total of 127 laps but suffered another blow in a frustrating series of problems that has kept him out of the winner's circle.

"Rick's been good all weekend and in a bunch of races," Setzer said. "But this has been his luck all year. It seems like he should have won a few races by now."

Crawford agreed.

"We had the truck to beat today," he said. "I was able to keep the 2 truck (Leffler) in my mirror all race long. With three laps to go, something flew off the race track and broke the filter going from the rear-end pump to the rear-end gear and it broke the gear and lost all of the fluid.

"I don't know what we need to change our luck or whatever we can do to chance our luck."

Musgrave encountered problems after leading 11 laps early, but he rebounded to extend his points lead with his fifth-place finish. Musgrave entered the day with just a four-point lead over David Starr, but Starr blew an engine late in the race and finished 24th.

Starr's problems coupled with Bliss' victory allowed Bliss to move to second in points, 61 behind Musgrave.

O'Reilly Auto

Parts 250

Results from Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Trucks O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway.

Driver Make

1. Mike Bliss Chevrolet

2. Dennis Setzer Chevrolet

3. Coy Gibbs Chevrolet

4. Jason Leffler Dodge

5. Ted Musgrave Dodge

6. Terry Cook Ford

7. Robert Pressley Dodge

8. Carl Edwards Ford

9. Jon Wood Ford

10. Matt Crafton Chevrolet