Mike Wallace Takes Another Step Toward the Top Ten in the Windy City; Preparing to Return Home to St. Louis

Player Management International Media Release

Joliet, IL (July 14, 2007) – When Mike Wallace and the #7 GEICO Racing team blew into the Windy City this weekend, they carried momentum from Daytona as they moved closer to returning to the Top 10 in the point standings after leaving the famed 2.5-mile tri-oval last week.

With new veteran crew chief, Gere Kennon, in his third week of work, Mike Wallace hit the Chicagoland Speedway in a fast way during practice.  Qualifying would also be quick for Wallace, but unfortunately the car would bottom out on his final lap causing him to lose a couple tenths of a second and force him to start in the 39th position for the USG Durock 300. 

When the green flag waved at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval, Wallace made steady progress towards the front of the field.  He would consistently run the same lap times as the leader and would be relentless in his pursuit to get to the front of the field, eventually working his way into the Top 5.  The Phoenix Racing pit crew would play an intricate role in getting Wallace up front, as they routinely provided quick pit stops for the #7 GEICO Chevrolet.  Wallace would take the checkered flag in the 18th position after improving 21 spots from his starting position of 39th. 

With the Top 20 finish, Wallace and the Gecko would inch closer to the Top 10 in the point standings.  Just a month ago, they sat over 100 points removed, but in recent weeks they have managed to turn in solid runs and significantly narrow the gap.  Wallace sits just 8 points behind Matt Kenseth in the 11th spot and 11 points behind Marcos Ambrose, who rests in the 10th position.   

“We had a good car this weekend and obviously we were able to run fast and pick up a lot of positions during the race,” Wallace said.  “The Phoenix Racing team did a good job of getting the #7 GEICO Chevrolet prepared for the race and it was nice to have a good run and get up front.  We were also able to pick up a lot of points and move closer to getting back in the Top 10.  Now we’ll keep working hard and head to my hometown of St. Louis and do our best to get GEICO, Sport Clips and Smith Transport back in the Top 10 and make the hometown fans proud.”   

This week, Mike Wallace and the Phoenix Racing team head to St. Louis, MO, for the Gateway 250 on Saturday, July 21, 2007.   

Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will hit the track at Gateway International Raceway for their first practice on Friday, July 20th, at 7:00 PM (ET).  Final practice is at 9:00 PM (ET), followed by qualifying on Saturday at 4:35 PM (ET). 

On Saturday, the Gateway 250 NASCAR Busch Series race will be televised live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 8:00 PM (ET) and green flag action coming at 8:30 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