Player Management International Media Release
Nashville, TN (April 7, 2007) – After a week off, Mike Wallace and the Phoenix Racing team packed up this week and headed to Music City USA for the Pepsi 300. They would be met by freezing temperatures and high winds at a race that typically provides warm temperatures during this time of year.
During the first practice session, Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet were looking sporty and turned in a time that was good for 18th position on the speed charts. Unfortunately during the final practice session, the Gecko would take a bite out of the outside wall and force the Phoenix Racing team to make repairs to the #7 car prior to qualifying.
The Phoenix Racing team would stay late at the track on Friday night and come in early on Saturday to make repairs to the GEICO Chevrolet and get it ready for qualifying on Saturday morning. Their hard work would pay off and the #7 Phoenix Racing entry would be ready to go for qualifying, where Wallace would be conservative as he wheeled around the 1.33-mile D-shaped concrete oval.
When they lined up on the starting grid for the 300-mile race, Wallace and the Gecko would find themselves starting in the 25th position.
When the green flag waved at Nashville Superspeedway, Wallace would waste little time moving to the front. While Wallace would initially slip back two spots to 27th, he would, just a few laps later, rocket straight to the front of the field, going from 27 to 13th without much delay.
Unfortunately, around the halfway point of the race, a $2 part on the fuel cell would break and cause the motor of the #7 GEICO machine to simply shut off, sending Wallace and the Gecko to the apron and down pit road for repairs. Wallace would later return and finish the race and gain the necessary points to keep him in the Top 10 and still sitting in the 9th position.
While it was a disappointing afternoon for Wallace and the Phoenix Racing team, they sit just 61 points behind Kyle Busch out of the Top 5 and only 7 points out of 8th position.
“We had a Top 5 car today and an odd mechanical problem hurt us,” Wallace said. “We’ve been good in race trim this year and today was no different. I was able to start 25th and go straight to the front and pass a lot of good cars. We know we can run well and win races because we’ve been able to run up front all year. Our goal right now is to get our qualifying program up to speed and be able to start closer to the front.” He continued, “I believe in this team and I know we’ll be able to get this car to the front of the starting grid. Right now, it’s nice to have GEICO, Sport Clips and Smith Transport sitting in the Top 10, but we want to be in the Top 5.”
This week, Mike Wallace and the GEICO Racing team head to Fort Worth, TX, for the O’Reilly 300 on Saturday, April 14th.
“We’re looking forward to getting to Texas because the last two races we’ve had great cars and because of things beyond our control we have suffered,” Wallace said. “This week we’re heading to Texas looking forward to putting ourselves in the Top 5 and get a good finish for GEICO, Sport Clips and Smith Transport.”
Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will hit the track at Texas Motor Speedway for their first practice on Thursday, April 12th, at 12:00 PM (ET), with final practice at 2:00 PM (ET). Qualifying is set for Thursday evening at 7:05 PM (ET).
On Saturday, the O’Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series race will be televised live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 2:30 PM (ET) with green flag action coming at 3:00 PM (ET). Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.GEICOracing7.com.
To learn more about the Sport Clips Racing program, please visit: www.SportClips.com.