Blaney replaces Pressley at Jasper.

Dave Blaney will take over the helm of the #77 Jasper Motorsports Ford next season, replacing four-year stalwart Robert Pressley behind the wheel.

Blaney, 33, now in his second full season in the Winston Cup Series, finished third In the 2000 Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, behind Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Before making his first Winston Cup start, at North Carolina Speedway in October of 1999, Blaney finished a solid seventh in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings that same year after capturing four pole positions and finishing in the top ten 13 times.

"The Jasper Engines & Transmissions Racing Team has come a long way in the past couple of years," said Doug Bawel, co-owner of Jasper Motorsports, "This season has been our best ever, but the combination of Ryan Pemberton, Dave Blaney and Penske Jasper Engines brings infinite possibilities for the future."

Blaney is one of open-wheel racing's most respected and successful racers of the past decade, having won 3.92 feature sprint car events during 17 seasons of competition in the World of Outlaws National Challenge Series, United Sprint Association and the All-star Circuit of Champions. He won the World of Outlaws Championship in 1995 and finished as runner-up four times.

"I'm looking forward to a new challenge," he said, "I think there is a lot of potential at Jasper Motorsports. The chance to work with Ryan and the whole Jasper team, as well as the opportunity to run Penske Jasper Engines and a Ford Taurus makes me confident about the future."

Bawel also announced three-year contract extension for Pemberton to lead the Jasper Engines & Transmissions team.

"We are looking forward to three more years with Ryan," said Bawel, 'He has brought a lot to this team. Ryan, of course, plays a big part in this and, with him, and now Dave Blaney, we feel we can definitely build upon the foundation we have already laid."

Blaney joined Bill Davis Racing in 1998 and, after only 52 Busch Series starts over two seasons, moved to the Winston Cup Series in 2000 with the #93 Amoco/EDR team despite having only seven starts in fendered cars of any kind at any level prior to leaving his position as a World of Outlaws frontrunner.

"Bill and Gail Davis gave me the chance to make the move to NASCAR from the World of Outlaws, and I'm grateful to them for putting me in a situation that a lot of guys trying to make the transition from a background of open-wheel or dirt-surface racing don't get very often," Blaney said.

"Bill and Gail were patient with me and our team when we struggled early on and gave me the time to get settled in and learn what I needed to learn about stock cars when a lot of owners might have asked far more sooner from a driver. We built a good nucleus with the team over four years, and it would have been great to be able to go into the future with those guys and that programme.

"But BP-Amoco's decision this summer not to return to NASCAR as a sponsor, as well as a combination of things that have affected the economy, have made it tough on everyone to identify and sign new sponsors. We've experienced the same thing at Bill Davis Racing.

"I still believe Bill Davis and [general manager] Mike Brown will find the right sponsor for the #93 and will move forward, but I had a great offer from the #77 team, Given the way things are with so many teams out there looking for sponsors late in the year, I just couldn't wait any longer to get something done. In a situation like this, you have to think about your career and your family first and that's what it really came down to."

Jasper Motorsports is still seeking additional sponsorship for the upcoming season, as Jasper Engines & Transmissions has been the primary sponsor of the #77 Ford for the past six seasons. The company has renewed its commitment to sponsor the car in 2002, but has made additional space available for other sponsors.