Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 CARQUEST 300 at Charlotte
A Nationwide Series regular went to Victory Lane for the first time in 2009. It only took a lucky caution…and a lot of help from Mother Nature…to finally make it happen.
The only car left on the lead lap waiting to pit before green flag pit stops cycled through, Mike Bliss got a lucky break that instantly absolved all the bad luck his Phoenix Racing team has endured this season on Lap 153, when Kevin Hamlin’s contact with the turn 4 wall brought out a yellow that trapped literally the entire field (sans lucky dog Brendan Gaughan) at least one lap behind his No. 1 car. Restarting in traffic behind the 11 cars that started in front of him on the tail end of the lead lap, Bliss methodically worked through traffic and kept out of trouble until rain started falling on the track at Lap 170. Though NASCAR and track crews worked feverishly to prepare the track, the jet dryers reported having lost the track, and Bliss ended up in Victory Lane.