Top 5 Eludes Wallace in Charlotte; Heading to the Monster Mile

Player Management International Media Release

Concord, NC (May 26, 2007) – After a much needed week off, Mike Wallace and the GEICO Racing team headed to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in a ‘home game’ of sorts.  Phoenix Racing is located just 70 miles from the epicenter of NASCAR which is Charlotte, NC, and this allowed all the NASCAR teams to enjoy a few extra days at home. 

The #7 GEICO Chevrolet got off to a slow start in Charlotte as they appeared in the 40th position at the conclusion of the first practice at the 1.5-mile speedway.  Things would pick up quickly however when Wallace managed to find speed and put the #7 GEICO Chevrolet in the 13th spot on the speed charts when the red flag waved to end the final practice session on Thursday afternoon. 

Friday would be an off day for NASCAR as a whole, as the track would be closed and the teams would be forced to return to Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday and qualify without any further practice or preparation. 

Wallace would go out 9th in the qualifying order which would put a damper on any thoughts of qualifying success, as the session started at 4:05 PM and would end with cooler temperatures which would mean much faster speeds.  He would tour the quad-oval in 30.755 seconds at a speed of 175.581 MPH, which would put him to the outside of Kevin Harvick in the 26th starting position for the race.  While Wallace’s qualifying attempt would keep him in the Top 10 for most of the qualifying session, the track would later cool 20-degrees and the lap times of cars would rapidly get faster. 

When the green flag waved on Saturday night, the #7 GEICO Chevrolet would serve Wallace well, as he would move rapidly towards the front of the field and ultimately find himself in the Top 5.  While entering pit road for a pit stop, Wallace would be assessed a speeding penalty which would send him back to 38th position and end any opportunity for a Top 5 that was in the Phoenix Racing team’s future under the lights in Charlotte.  Wallace would battle back as hard as he could, but it would be too much to surmount and he would finish 23rd, just behind Bobby Labonte and Greg Biffle.    

“We had a great car and we once again had the #7 GEICO Chevrolet up front, but unfortunately a speeding penalty slowed us down; no pun intended,” Wallace said.  “This weekend we head to Dover, which is a track where I enjoy racing and a place where I have typically experienced success.  We keep getting close and we keep running up front, so it has been exciting to have GEICO, Sport Clips and Smith Transport at the front of the field on a consistent basis.” 

This week, The Phoenix Racing team will pack up the #7 GEICO Chevrolet and head to Dover, Delaware, for the Dover 200 on Saturday, June 2, 2007.

Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will hit the track at the Monster Mile for their first practice on Friday, June 1st, at 9:00 AM (ET), with final practice at 2:00 PM (ET).  Qualifying is set for Saturday morning, June 2nd, at 11:05 AM (ET). 

On Saturday, June 2, 2007, the Dover 200 NASCAR Busch Series race will be televised live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 2:30 PM (ET) and green flag action coming at 3:00 PM (ET). 
Motor Racing Network (MRN) 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.