Blaney helping #77 team look for new crew chief and staying in 2003: With the obvious progress of the #77 Jasper Motorsports Team this season being inexorably linked between his arrival and an increased technical presence within the organization, Dave Blaney is already looking ahead to the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season with a justifiable share of optimism about affecting another substantial increase in on-track performance for the improving program. With the high probability of producing the team’ best-ever finish in the WC point standings hinging on a steady effort in this weekend’ Ford 400 at Homestead/Miami Speedway, Blaney has already begun working with Team Manager and Co-Owner Mark Harrah and the growing roster of engineers at Jasper Motorsports on post-season plans for testing and in-shop production as well as the search for a new crew chief following the departure of Ryan Pemberton following this weekend’ race. Heading the effort to keep up with the sprawling multi-car teams, Harrah and co-owners Doug Bawel and Mark Wallace have completed a majority of their pre-planning for the 2003 season, including a reconfigured relationship with the Penske-Jasper Engine program that will now produce both Dodge and Ford power plants in the immediate future. Harrah admits that his expanded engineering staff is at the heart of the effort. The other major questions for Blaney, Harrah and his co-owners originated from the mid-summer decision-making process by business partner Roger Penske and whether a proposed switch from Ford to Dodge would be beneficial for his drivers Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman and his A-list organization. The subsequent decision for Penske South to switch to Daimler-Chrysler products in 2003 complicated the relationship between the Penske and Jasper programs, who co-owns Penske-Jasper Engines.(see quotes and more at Jasper Engines PR)(11-14-2002)
