Bliss off to great start in Truck Series

He is well-aware of the pitfalls in the elite levels of NASCAR racing.

Back in 1999, Mike Bliss was coming off a solid year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the Jack Roush-owned Exide Batteries Ford to a ninth-place finish in points, highlighted by his win at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan., on Aug. 28.

That win was the seventh for the Bliss, since he began competing in the NCTS in its inaugural season of 1995.

	Mike Bliss

"I was with a lot of good teams in the Truck Series and I was comfortable driving a truck," said Bliss, whose career-best finish in the NCTS points chase was fourth in 1997 while driving for Jim Smith.

Nonetheless, Bliss decided to move up to the Winston Cup ranks in 2000 to get behind the wheel for A.J. Foyt.

That didn't last long, however, as he only made one race before being released. Bliss did find another Cup ride that same season with Eel River Racing, making 24 races and placing 39th in the season points.

"I learned a lot about how tough Winston Cup racing is," said Bliss, a native of Milwaukie, Ore. "It is not like what people may think where you just get in a car and are competitive. It is a lot more complex than that."

As for 2001, it was a nightmare for Bliss as he was not only out of Cup racing, but he also couldn't land a permanent job in the Busch Series or Truck Series either.

"Last year was pretty tough," Bliss said. "I was just going to races here and there, but I never could put anything together."

Bliss made one start in the NCTS a year ago, driving the IWX Motor Freight Chevrolet to a ninth-place outing Sept. 28 at South Boston Speedway.

And Bliss is back with the same team in 2002 and couldn't be happier.

"Personally, I think we are one of the better Truck Series teams," Bliss said. "We have started out the season real strong and I am just having a lot of fun. It is nice to be in a competitive car each week because the last couple of years that wasn't the case for me."

Bliss should be smiling.

After three NCTS races this season, he is fifth in points on the strength of two top-five efforts, including coming in second at the last race at Martinsville Speedway April 13.

Bliss will try to improve his points position Sunday when he pilots the No. 16 Xpress Motorsports Team truck in the Ram Tough 200 at the 1.25-mile track at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.