The NAPA 200 presented by Dodge got underway under dry conditions, however it was not long before NASCAR waved the caution flag due to heavy rain on the race track. For the first time in NASCAR history, a points race was contended under wet conditions. All teams were permitted three minutes to change to rain tires and add a windshield wiper to the car.
48 of 74 laps were completed before the race was called and the #7 GEICO Camry recorded a 15th place finish North of the border. Driver Mike Wallace was happy to escape Montreal with an intact race car.
“It was certainly interesting and I thought everyone did a good job of being patient and not getting too anxious,” Wallace said. “I think it was getting to a point where some of the drivers were getting antsy and it was about to get real interesting, so NASCAR made a good decision and called it off.”
Wallace continued, “This whole GEICO team did a good job today and we were obviously very competitive, both in qualifying and in the race. We’re 8th in the points and we’re looking forward to getting to Watkins Glen next week and shining once again on another road course. I have a lot to learn about these road courses, but I’m definitely having fun.”
The GEICO Racing team has had a nice run of Top 10’s over the last few weeks and they were looking to add to the total at The Milwaukee Mile, where Mike Wallace has previously visited Victory Lane. After recording a third place finish in Kentucky a week ago, they were hoping to improve two spots and find themselves in Victory Lane.
The #7 GEICO Camry got involved in a slight fender bender at the beginning of the race. By Lap 90, Wallace sat in the 9th position, but he would spend the majority of the evening running solidly in the Top 15. At the close of the event, Wallace was in the 18th spot when the checkered flag waved over the oldest track in the country.
“We had kind of a tough evening tonight, but fared well in the point standings,” Wallace said. The Germain racing team is eighth in the Nationwide Series Driver Points Standings.
Eighteen year old Joey Logano started from the pole for the second consecutive week in the No. 20, in only his third start in the Nationwide series. The race ended with Logano making history as the youngest Nationwide Series winner ever. Scott Wimmer garnered a second place finish; Mike Wallace and the Gecko came in third!!
”Dave and the guys worked on the car from the minute we unloaded," Logano said. "I didn’t know what we would have going into lap one. We never gave up…loosening up, loosening it up…about the last pit stop, we got it about right. Overall it was a good night. “ Dave (Crew Chief Dave Rogers) told me we were going to win this thing tonight one way or another and I believed him. ..so, with the last twenty laps to go, I was praying for it to stay green. I expected to win at Dover…I’m getting in one of the best cars out there-I have to win races.”
Wimmer, the second place finisher added “We were just free at the end after the last pit stop. We had tight conditions all night long until then. Seems like the only way we could get close to the No. 18 and the No. 20 was to run free. I just stayed free that whole run.”
Coming off of two consecutive Top 10’s, the GEICO Racing team entered the Bluegrass state looking to extend a run that has them rapidly moving towards the Top 5 in the point standings. Success has become a habit for Mike Wallace and the Germain Racing team and the last few weeks have shown that they both expect to win. Unfortunately, as the race wound down, Wallace suffered a couple setbacks during pit stops. When the checkered flag waved over the Meijer 300, Mike Wallace and the GEICO Racing team recorded a 3rd place finish in a hard fought battle that challenged both Wallace and the Germain Racing team.
” The car was really good," said Wallace. "We had a few obstacles on pit road. I’m really happy with the whole Germain Geico team- the best run I’ve had all year; the best run in a couple of years. It’s nice to know you can go out there as a driver and compete with everyone. We found some things in our race cars that have made them run better and we finished third. Wish we could have had a caution with about five to go, so we could have challenged Scott and Joey.”
As the 2008 season wears on, Mike Wallace and the GEICO Racing team just keep getting better. Sitting in the middle of a series of good runs over the last few weeks, the GEICO team looked to improve upon past finishes and chase their first win of the season as they descended upon Nashville Superspeedway. A steamy, hot Tennessee afternoon was the setting for the Federated Auto Parts 300. As temperatures hovered around the 100-degree mark and the afternoon sun beat down on pit road, Mike Wallace and the GEICO Racing team prepared to get busy with recording yet another top finish. Early in the race Wallace and the Gecko arrived in the Top 5 where they rested before finding themselves in the lead.
The GEICO pit crew would provide superior support during pit stops and assist in keeping the #7 GEICO Camry up front. Wallace recorded his best finish in two years, winding up 6th in Music City. The finish was his 5th Top 10 of the 2008 season.
“We had a great weekend and the results show the progress that we’re making as a race team,” Wallace said. “Everyone’s real positive and we’re all working hard and it’s showing each week. 4th and 5th in practice, qualified 9th and finished 6th. It’s a nice weekend for GEICO, Sport Clips and Smith Transport. It’s also a nice weekend for the Germain Racing team because we’re all seeing the hard work payoff. Bruce Cook (crew chief) and the guys are doing a great job and I feel confident that we’ll be back up front in Kentucky next week.”
This week, the Germain Racing team heads to Sparta, Kentucky, which is located just south of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mike Wallace and the GEICO team are coming off of two consecutive Top 10’s and they hope to add a win to their resume when they arrive in the Bluegrass State.
The Meijer 300 is on Saturday, June 14th, and it will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 8:00 PM (ET), while the Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
Mike Wallace moved into the Top 5 and ran in the 4th position on just Lap 9. As the race wore on, the caution flag would wave and allow the GEICO Racing pit crew to shine, when they completed a tremendous pit stop on Lap 64 and returned the #7 GEICO Camry to the race track in the 4th position. Wallace and the Gecko would narrowly avoid a major crash on Lap 71. While he took a slight hit as he slivered through the colossal crash, it would not be enough to slow the #7 GEICO Camry. Wallace would run in the Top 5 for the majority of the afternoon, and even lead briefly when he overtook Dale Earnhardt, Jr. late in the race.
“I felt I was a car to beat", said Wallace. "(Greg) Biffle helped me dramatically -- he got us to where I almost had (Tony) Stewart cleared and I was just half a car length from clearing him. I didn’t want to force the issue."
Following a late-race caution flag that would provide the fans with an exciting green/white/checkers finish, Wallace restarted the race in the 5th position. Wallace jumped out of line with the #7 GEICO Camry in an effort to win the race, however a commitment made from a fellow driver would not be honored and, consequently, Wallace was ‘hung out to dry’.
"On the final restart the 38 (Jason Leffler) said they would work with us and we had a run and we went. I should have been smarter than that, I’ve been through this rodeo before."
Falling back as far as 17th position on the final lap, Wallace would hustle back to the front and record a 10th place finish.
"We were fortunate to hang onto a top-10. We had a good car, it drove really good -- we had no problems all day long.A Top 10 finish is great, but we had a car to win the race and we put ourselves in position to win, but unfortunately we got hung out to dry there on the final lap,” Wallace said. “We picked up some ground in the point standings and we also got great coverage for GEICO and Sport Clips. It was a fun race and we were lucky enough to barely miss the big crash.”
He continued, “This week will be special because we head to Richmond which sits only about 90 miles from GEICO’s corporate office. We always have a lot of GEICO guests in Richmond, so we’re hoping to take them to Victory Lane with us.”
This week, the Germain Racing team heads to Richmond, Virginia, for a Friday night short track battle. Richmond International Raceway provides the Gecko a chance to visit home, as the ¾-mile race track sits less than a hundred miles removed from GEICO’s corporate office. The Lipton Tea 250 is on Friday, May 2nd, and it will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 7:00 PM (ET), while the Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
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