After a career as a sprint car stud, Dave Blaney got serious about NASCAR racing at the ripe old age of 36, moving from his native Ohio to North Carolina. His first taste of extended action came in 1998 in the Busch Series, when he ran part-time for Bill Davis Racing and sponsor Amoco. After running Busch full-time the following year, Blaney and his sponsor moved up to Cup.

In 2000, Blaney finished third in the Rookie of the Year award standings and ran full-time again in 2001 for BDR. For 2002, Dave signed with the #77 Jasper Motorsports tea...