Mike Wallace 9th in Points After Indy; Looking Forward to the Great White North

Indianapolis, IN (July 28, 2007) – When Mike Wallace and the Phoenix Racing team unloaded the #7 GEICO Chevrolet at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis on Saturday morning, they hit the ground running.  Having experienced previous success in Indianapolis, Wallace looked forward to the Kroger 200 benefitting Riley Hospital for Children and planned to make progress in the points chase.

Practice would go well for Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet, as they would find themselves 17th on the speed charts following the first practice session.  Improving four positions in final practice, the Gecko would sit 13th when the red flag ended the final session. 

During qualifying, Wallace would tour the .686- mile oval in 22.909 seconds, at a speed of 107.800 MPH, which would place him to the inside of Row 10 when they lined up to go short-track racing under the lights on Saturday night. 

Wallace’s position in the Top 10 in the point standings would have him featured on ESPN2’s pre-race show prior to Saturday night’s race.  

Starting 19th, Wallace would find his car racy, as he would work his way to the front of the field.  In front of the sold out crowd, he would run as high as 9th before his car would drop off and he would find it hard to make progress late in the race.  After beating and banging, Wallace would battle to secure a 20th place finish when the checkered flag waved over the historic race track on Saturday night. 

Mike Wallace and the Gecko still sit in the Top 10 in points in the 9th position, and actually stretched out their lead on Marcos Ambrose, who now sits 43 points behind Wallace in the 10th position.  Wallace made progress in reaching the Top 5 and now sits just 27 points removed from the 8th spot.   

This week, Mike Wallace and the GEICO Racing team head to Circuit Gilles Villenueve, a road course, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for their second trip over the border this season.  The NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge is on Saturday, August 4, 2007. 

“Indianapolis was tough, so we’re lucky to get out of there with a Top 20 and still 9th in points,” Wallace said.  “I always enjoy road course racing and I’m looking forward to getting to Montreal with the #7 GEICO Chevrolet and picking up spots in the points chase.”  He continued, “In Montreal, I have a great teammate in Max Papis and he and I have been spending a lot of time talking about the course and how we’re going to get to the front of the field.” 

Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will hit the track at Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal for their first practice on Thursday, August 2nd, at 9:00 AM (ET), with final practice at 2:05 PM (ET) on Friday.  Qualifying is set for Saturday afternoon at 12:10 PM (ET). 

On Saturday, August 4th, the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge NASCAR Busch Series race will be televised live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 3:00 PM (ET) and green flag action coming at 3:30 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.