Player Management International Media Release
Las Vegas, NV (March 1, 2008) – When the #7 GEICO team rolled into Las Vegas, they were looking for the #7 on their race car to turn into ‘lucky 7’. Wallace and the Gecko arrived in the Entertainment Capital of the World with high hopes of improving upon their 16th place finish the previous week in Fontana and earn their first Top 10 of the season.
Practice would not be an indication of what Wallace and the #7 GEICO Camry would do later in the race. During the first practice session on Friday, he would struggle through it and find himself in the 29th position at the close of the session. Wallace would not fare much better in Final Practice, as he would jump only four spots to 25th when the red flag closed the session.
The Germain Racing team continued to work hard on the set up of the #7 GEICO Camry in order to prepare the car for qualifying on Saturday morning. Their hard work would become evident during qualifying when Wallace and the Gecko toured the 1.5-mile facility in 30.477 seconds, at a rate of speed of 177.183. Despite the track being 46 degrees hotter than it was during the January NASCAR test session where Wallace was 8th fastest, Wallace and the #7 GEICO Toyota would find themselves starting 18th, sandwiched between NASCAR legends Mark Martin in 17th, and Bobby Labonte in 19th.
Early in the race, the #7 GEICO Camry would log laps and exhibit patience that would pay off as the day progressed. A seasoned veteran, Wallace would narrowly avoid an early crash on Lap 9 that had Jason Leffler and Kyle Krisiloff trading paint as they exited Turn 4.
The Germain Racing team would assist Wallace on his trek to the front with good pit stops throughout the day. During a caution on Lap 65, Wallace would come down pit road running in the 20th position for four tires and fuel. The Germain Racing team would send the #7 GEICO Camry out in the 18th position, gaining two spots during their stop and starting what would turn out to be a full out assault on the field.
By lap 79, Wallace and the Gecko were in the 15th position, and then on Lap 101 they were sitting 12th. A caution on Lap 103 would once again see the GEICO pit crew going to work and doing their part in the pursuit of the top spot. Wallace would enter pit road running 12th, but the Germain Racing pit crew would pull off another great stop and have Wallace re-starting the race in the 9th position, marking his first appearance of the day in the Top 10. He must have felt comfortable there because he would stay among the leaders for the remainder of the afternoon, even working his way into the Top 5 by Lap 134 where he sat 4th.
On Lap 187, the caution flag would once again be displayed at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval. Wallace and the #7 GEICO Camry would take on four tires and fuel, while most other cars would only take on two tires. This strategy would cost the GEICO team precious seconds and send Wallace back to the 12th position for the re-start.
Lap 195 would get hairy when Mark Martin got into the back of Carl Edwards and sent him spinning on the front stretch. Wallace would miss this crash by the narrowest of margins as the field was coming to 5 laps to go. This caution would have Wallace sitting inside the Top 10 and preparing for a green/white/checker finish.
With three laps to go, Wallace would take the green flag and move quickly forward, picking up 3 spots and recording a 7th place finish under perfect skies in Las Vegas. Wallace’s Top 10 finish would bump him up four spots in the point standings to 8th, where he sits just 52 points removed from the Top 5.
“This was a great run for our team and for GEICO, Sport Clips and Smith Transport,” Wallace said. “We had a good run last week in Fontana and it is nice to follow it up this week with a Top 10. This GEICO team is working really hard and I think this is the type of performance that we can start expecting week in and week out. The pit stops were really good and as the race wore on we were able to move quickly to the front and run up there with the leaders for most of the afternoon.”
This week, the Germain Racing team will pack up the #7 GEICO Camry and head just down the road to Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Atlanta race will be a welcome break for ‘Superman’, the GEICO hauler driver, as he has spent the last two weeks on the road during NASCAR’s West Coast swing.
Mike Wallace and the #7 GEICO Camry will hit the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway for their first practice on Friday, March 7th, at 10:10 AM (ET). Final practice is also on Friday at 1:05 PM (ET), followed by qualifying on Saturday morning at 9:15 AM (ET).
The Nicorette 300 is on Saturday, March 8th, and it will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 1:30 PM (ET), while the Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
Visit the new innovative, interactive GEICO Racing web site at: www.geicogarage.com
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