Player Management International Media Release
Montreal, Quebec (August 3, 2007) – After topping the speed charts on Thursday at Circuit Gilles Villenueve, 2004 Rolex Grand-Am Series champion ‘Mad Max’ Papis came out for practice in the #1 Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts Chevrolet blazing as he once again sat at the top of the speed charts after practice concluded on Friday afternoon. However, he was not alone, as his teammate Mike Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet found some speed and made a significant improvement from Thursday’s open practice sessions.
Papis, who sat 6th on the charts after Thursday’s final practice session concluded, said that he believed that the guys at Phoenix Racing were working hard and could find more speed in the #1 Miccosukee Chevrolet. It was a prophetic statement, as Papis would sit 4th on the final practice chart, ahead of road racing aces Ron Fellows, Boris Said and Scott Pruett, when the red flag waved to end the final practice session on Friday afternoon.
Wallace’s story was not as good on Thursday during the open practice sessions, as he and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet struggled to find speed at the 2.71-mile road course and would subsequently finish 27th on the speed charts. Friday would be a new day, however, for the GEICO Racing team because Wallace would find his groove in the final practice session and put the Gecko 14th on the final practice sheet.
Papis was happy with the car and the success in the final practice session and he looks forward to the race.
“The guys at Phoenix Racing have given me a good car and they worked extremely hard to help the #1 Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts Chevrolet be in the Top 5 in the final practice session,” Papis said. “I’m also happy to see that Mike (Wallace) and the GEICO car are up there as well. We’re all working really hard as a team to make sure both of our cars are up front on Saturday afternoon when the green flag waves.”
Wallace shares Papis’s enthusiasm and plans on making up ground in the points chase. He currently sits 9th in the point standings, but sits just 27 points removed from the 8th position.
“We got a lot better in the final session today and the car felt so much better,” Wallace said. “The guys are working hard and that’s what we need. We had an issue with the rear gear and we rebounded from that and put the #7 GEICO Chevrolet 14th on the charts after being 27th yesterday. This race is a great opportunity for us to pick up more spots in the points chase, so our goal is to go out and run well and finish at the front of the field.”
Qualifying for the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge will be Saturday, August 4th, at 12:10 PM (ET).
On Saturday afternoon, 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.
For more information about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.GEICOracing7.com.
For more information about the Miccosukee Resorts & Gaming racing program, please visit: www.miccosukee.com.
For more information about Mike Wallace, please visit: www.mikewallace.com.
For more information about Max Papis, please visit: www.maxpapis.com.