Mike Wallace Leads in Darlington; Looking to Enjoy A Week Off and Then Head to Charlotte

Player Management International Release

Darlington, SC (May 11, 2007) – Mike Wallace and the Phoenix Racing team headed to Darlington hoping to tame a track that bears the nickname ‘The Track Too Tough To Tame’.  The Gecko would get the better of the Lady in Black until tire wear and a handling issue would ultimately affect the #7 GEICO Chevrolet.

Wallace would start the race in the 31st position, however he would make a calculated move to the front.  Wallace would narrowly avoid a handful of wrecks and keep himself clean and manage to put himself at the front of the pack where he would find himself as the leader of the race for the 7th time this season. 

Darlington is tough on tires and Friday night was no different than any other race, as the teams would do all they could to conserve tires and attempt to save as much rubber as possible in order to make a run at the end.  This strategy would not pay off for the #7 GEICO Chevrolet and, in addition to a handling issue, this would relegate the Gecko and Mike Wallace to a 23rd place finish under the lights on Friday night.   

“Friday night was frustrating because Darlington is so tough on tires and in addition to the handling of the race car I felt like I was battling something all night,” Wallace said.  “We’ve been running up front all year and we were able to lead for the 7th time this season on Friday night.  We need to keep working hard because we are going to have something great happen because every week we are competitive and running up front.” 

This week, The Phoenix Racing team will enjoy a much needed weekend off as the NASCAR Busch Series takes a break before heading to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, next week.

Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will hit the track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for their first practice on Thursday, May 24th, at 1:00 PM (ET), with final practice at 6:00 PM (ET).  Qualifying is set for Saturday afternoon, May 26th, at 4:05 PM (ET). 

On Saturday, May 26th, the Carquest Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Busch Series race will be televised live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 7:30 PM (ET) and green flag action coming at 8:00 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.