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.
Marcos Ambrose has jumped back into the top 10 in the NASCAR Busch Series standings after a strong day earned him 11th place in the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky on Saturday. The solid finish lifts Ambrose up to eighth place in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series standings and the Australian continues to sit in second place in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings behind fellow Ford driver David Ragan. Ambrose will next compete in the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion in the A####mp;T 250 at the Milwaukee Mile in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 23.
“This was a great day for our team. Wood Brothers/JTG Racing had two cars running inside the top 10 for most of the race today and everyone put in an excellent performance. It definitely feels like I have got a handle on these 1.5-mile ovals now. The next step is to get a little better on the short tracks, so we will see how we go next weekend on the flat, one mile oval in Milwaukee.”
Ambrose is second in the points among Busch regulars and is becoming a candidate for the 21 Wood Brothers/JTG Ford in Cup next year in light of Jon Wood's recent health issues.
SPARTA, KY. – Stephen Leicht claimed his first career win in the Meijer 300 on Saturday after passing one of his best friends just 12 laps from the finish at the Kentucky Speedway.
“I can’t say enough tonight about the CitiFinancial team and our car tonight was awesome. We were in the right position at the right time and we were able to capitalize on it with 10 to go,” Leicht said. “Those were the longest 10 laps that I’ve run there at the end of the race. I never thought the race was going to end. Once you get the first one out of the way I think they’ll just come easier now. This team is definitely prepared for that.”
Leicht became the first Busch regular to win a Busch race since David Gilliland won the only Busch race by a Busch regular (or iregular) last year. There is something wrong with that folks. I don't care what JJ thinks.
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