Finish Line to sponsor Blaney at All-Star weekend.

Dave Blaney has confirmed that he will drive the for Bill Davis Racing #23 Finish Line Dodge in this weekend's Nextel All-Star Challenge, having secured backing from the car dealership for this weekend's big race.

Finish Line Dodge is one dealership in the Bertolami Automotive Group, which also owns Finish Line Ford and Toyota West, and has agreed a one-race deal through its relationship with the Davis family.

"This is an incredible opportunity for our group," said Bertolami president Gary Reece, "Bill and Gail Davis have been personal friends of mine for quite some time, and it was great to do a one-race deal with them. We saw it is a great opportunity to do a business deal together where we could cross promote the dealership with this unique sponsorship opportunity.

"We're located in Statesville, where many of the NASCAR teams are within minutes of our dealership, and our employees are really charged up about having Dave Blaney in the #23 Finish Line Dodge for such a fun and exciting race. They are all looking forward to seeing the car finish up front in the All-Star Challenge this weekend. We'll definitely have some fan support in the stands."

Blaney will have to race his way into the Challenge by winning the Nextel Open - or by winning the fan voting at www.nascar.com. The winner of the qualifying event will transfer to the main race, while the driver with the most fan votes will also make the field.

The Open is a 30-lap race to be run in two segments of 20 laps and ten laps. Between the two segments, there will be a caution where teams can pit, change tyres and make needed adjustments. Teams that pit will not retain their position on the track and will start the final segment in the rear of the field in the order they leave pit road.

Blaney reckons that he has every chance of making the grade in the Open, having enjoyed a successful test session with the Bill Davis team last week.