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Funai 250 - Kenny Wallace Notes
Richmond International Raceway Funai 250 Kenny Wallace on Richmond International Raceway � �I really like going to Richmond. It is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. I have won there three times and started on the front row twice. It is a driver�s racetrack. You have to be up on the wheel all night in order to have a good finish. It is not all about aero or the motor but more about the driver and experience. �My team has been working so hard to get the Stacker 2 car up front, and I think all their hard work will pay off this weekend. I am looking forward to keeping the No. 23 Stacker 2 car up front all night.� Kenny Wallace Happenings� Wallace will attend a VIP showing of the new IMAX NASCAR movie Wednesday, May 12 at 8 p.m. EDT at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond. He will answer questions from the fans and talk about what it was like to be part of the movie. Stacker 2 Happenings� Wallace will be at Lee Davis High School in Mechanicsville, Va., May 13 at 9:30 a.m. EDT, for the seventh stop on the 2004 YJ Stinger�s �Race to Bee Safe� program. He will talk to the students about the responsibility of being behind the wheel of a car. The program has an added bonus this year: one student will win a $20,000 scholarship by writing an essay about what the program meant to them Get to Know Jack� One-year-old Jack Sable suffers from a chromosome disorder that affects many people in the United States. When Stacker 2 heard about Jack and his condition, it took the family under its wing. For every lap Wallace and the Stacker 2/YJ Stinger team completes this year, NVE, the parent company of Stacker 2, will donate $1 to the Sable family to help pay for Jack�s medical costs. So far this season, Wallace and the Stacker 2/YJ Stinger team have earned $1,754 for the cause. �I intend on completing every lap I can for Jack Sable and the Sable family,� Wallace said. �At the end of the year I would like nothing more than to have Jack and his family at our table at the banquet.� Wallace enjoys time at Gateway preparing for Charter 250 Chad Baalman, The Telegraph 05/05/2004 These are busy times for Kenny Wallace. And the Arnold, Mo.-born driver wouldn�t have it any other way. Wallace is home this week as he prepares for Saturday�s NASCAR Busch Series Charter 250 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison. "I love coming to the Gateway International Raceway not only because it is a great race track, but also because it is in the backyard of my hometown," Wallace said. "I grew up in St. Louis and still have family and friends here. It is nice that I get to come home for a week and spend time with people who I do not get to see very often." The 40-year-old Wallace, whose older brothers Mike and Rusty also compete in NASCAR (Mike competes in the Busch Series and Rusty is a former Nextel Cup champion and a winner at Martinsville, Va. last month), has a lot on his plate this week. Besides the 200-lap race under the lights at Gateway, among the big plans Wallace has this week is a benefit auction he will host Thursday at his alma mater, Fox High in Arnold, Mo. Doors open at 5 p.m. and admission is $5. Proceeds from the silent and live auctions will go to the families of Ronnie Koch and Ralph Crumby, who were killed in an automobile accident in December. Koch and Crumby were relatives of Wallace. Various racing items such as helmets, uniforms, gloves and sheet metal will be auctioned off and NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader, Jason Keller, Ron Hornaday Jr., Robert Pressley, David Green and Bobby Hamilton Jr. are expected to attend and sign autographs. Wallace, back in the Busch Series after a struggle in the Nextel Cup Series last year, will be at Fox High earlier in the day speaking to students as part of the "Race to Bee Safe" program backed by his Busch Series sponsor, Stacker2 and its YJ Stinger brand. Autograph sessions are scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday and on Saturday at Gateway. Wallace is also raising money for Jack Sable, a one-year-old who has a chromosome disorder called "1P36," that affects Sable both mentally and physically. For every lap Wallace completes this season, Stacker2 will donate $1 to the Sable family to help defray hospital costs. The 1989 Busch Series rookie of the year is also trying to nail down his first top-five finish at Gateway. In four previous races held at the 1.25-mile egg-shaped oval, Wallace�s best finish was 6th in 2001 driving for George DeBidart. He got a top-10 run in a collaborative effort between his car owner Bill Davis and friend Michael Waltrip. "I really enjoy racing at Gateway because it is considered a short track," Wallace said. "Last year, I was running in the top five when we lost fourth gear in the final stages of the race but still managed to finish 10th." Through nine races, Wallace is 11th in the Busch Series standings and is coming off a pair of top-10 finishes. Last week he was ninth at Fontana, Calif. and the week before sixth at Talladega, Ala. "The whole Bill Davis Racing operation is gaining momentum, and I think that we will have an opportunity for a top five or better this weekend," Wallace said. [email protected] What Kenny has to say about Rockingham (2/04): "Rockingham was the place of my last win in the fall of 2001. I am really looking forward to going back to Rockingham and repeating that finish. I love the racetrack because it has a variety of lanes. I can search for the fastest groove to get around the track. Some people like to run low while others like to run high. There is a lot of side by side racing which makes going there fun not only for the drivers but also for the fans. I am disappointed that we only go the Rockingham once this year, but times are changing and that is OK. I am going to miss going there, but NASCAR always makes the right decisions." Jimmy Spencer's view of the Wallaces: Q. Who's your favorite Wallace? A. I like 'em all. Rusty, he's got a gigantic ego, and I love him. Mike, he don't think anybody else is ever right. And Kenny's a great guy. news-journalonline.com From Kennywallace.com: "This is Herm the Worm Weaver from Saint Louis checking in with his fans. How is everyone out there? I hope you had a good holiday season! Ours was great except for the death of Kim's cousins which has set us all back. I thought I would drop in, in my new purple suit, to give you all an update. I doing fine in the off season, been spending some time at the shop working with the guys, getting to know the new crew a bit better. I love Chris (Rice), he is an excellent crew chief for me, we think so much alike and have worked together before. So far all I have for you about my schedule is the BGN effort. We are putting 100% towards that for now, I do hope to sneak in a few Winston... ahh I mean Nextel Cup races on and off this year, stay tuned for that. Besides that I'm getting over a cold like thing and can't wait to get out there and race again. So I will talk to you all later in the month from Daytona, stay safe until then and lets hope the Rams make it to the SuperBowl to beat the Patriots this year." (01/07/04) HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY FORD 400 KENNY WALLACE ON MIAMI � HOMESTEAD SPEEDWAY� "We qualified really good down here last year,� said Wallace. �But, the race was a little different. We ran pretty good and probably deserved a top 15 finish, but we just didn�t get it. It has been a pretty good track for me in the past. We�ll just have to wait and see what we can do down there with the new pavement and the banking they added to the track. We�ve got a good amount of track time before we have to qualify and my teammate Scott Wimmer and his team tested down there a couple weeks ago. I hope we can finish the season on a high note for everybody.� STACKER 2 HAPPENINGS� Kenny will visit the final Race To Bee Safe participating High School this weekend. Wallace will visit Goleman High School in Miami on Thursday, November 13th as part of �YJ Stinger�s Race to Bee Safe� program. The Race to Bee Safe program is designed to teach teenagers the importance of safe driving and good car maintenance. Students sign a promise to practice safe driving. The promise will act as an informal contract between the student and the student�s parents. The promises will also be used in a drawing for prizes, including tickets to the Nov. 15th Ford 300 NASCAR Busch Series event at Miami � Homestead Speedway. Kenny Wallace and Scott Wimmer will both visit the Stacker 2 display on Sunday morning at approximately 9:30 am. KENNY WALLACE HAPPENINGS� Kenny Wallace and his family will begin the off-season with some downtime. You can typically find him taking a cruise somewhere in the tropics. He and his family are planning a cruise for early December. �We�ve been cruising for a long time. It is something that Kim and the girls have really enjoyed and all of us look forward to after a long season,� said Wallace. KANSAS SPEEDWAY BANQUET 400 WALLACE ON RUNNING ON �HOMETRACK�� �I�m looking forward to going back to Kansas City,� said Kenny Wallace, driver of the #23 Stacker 2 Dodge. �Missouri is the home state for all the Wallace boys. We have a lot of friends and family that will come to the track this weekend and be cheering all of us on. I�ve got some dirt track buddies out of Iowa that will be there. They want me to come to the local dirt track this weekend and watch them race during the evenings. It�s the group of dirt cars that I�ve driven all summer. I think it�s only fair, they come cheer us on and I�ll go cheer them on.� WHAT STACKER 2 CAR WILL THE TEAM RUN THIS WEEKEND� The #23 Stacker 2 car Kenny Wallace will run this weekend is car #77. It�s a brand new car that the team debuted at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. It ran competitively until it became tangled in an accident coming off turn four. Wallace held on to finish 24th. WALLACE ON THIS WEEK�S RACE IN KANSAS� �It�s kind of like Chicago, but not really,� said Wallace. �I guess it�s more like Kentucky. We tested at Kentucky to prepare for this week�s race and I think it went really well. Kansas gets better the older it gets. The groove opens up and allows us to pass a lot better. I like the tracks where you can race in two or three grooves. We might be able to do that eventually. The trucks had a great race there, so I think it is closer than we think.� WALLACE ON LAST YEAR�S RACE� �We finished 16th last year. I�m looking for the Stacker 2 guys to at least back that run up, but ideally finish better than that. Last year we were content with that finish because we had just started working together and now we�ve been together for an entire year so we�re certainly looking forward a decent run this weekend. We would like to finish these last races on a high note.� [From Race2Win.Net] TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY EA SPORTS 500 WALLACE WILL CARRY SPECIAL DECAL TO PAY TRIBUTE TO FALLEN HEROES OF STATION #23� The Station #23 program was developed to pay tribute to the fallen firefighters of Station 23 FDNY (Midtown Manhattan), who were performing their jobs of saving lives when tragedy struck on September 11, 2001. The name of their station is �The Lion's Den.� Through the common grief following September 11th, a special bond was created between Station 23 FDNY and Station 23, Grand Terrace (San Bernardino County FD) in Grand Terrace, California. The two have become �sister stations� and Station 23, Grand Terrace, has since adopted the name �The Lion's Den� in honor of the fallen firefighters. �The Lion's Den� decal being placed on the #23 Stacker 2 Busch and Cup cars feature both "sister stations" and will be included on the team cars throughout the month of September. WHAT STACKER 2 CAR WILL THE TEAM RUN THIS WEEKEND� The #23 Stacker 2 car Kenny Wallace will run this weekend is car #68. It�s the same car the team ran at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring, started 25th and finished 17th, and both Daytona International Speedway events, started 21st and finished 16th in the Daytona 500 and started 29th and finished 15th in the Pepsi 400. �I don�t know why, but for some reason this car doesn�t qualify well, but it sure does race good,� said Kenny Wallace. �We were running in the top 10 at Talladega in the spring when the white flag came out and then ran out of gas. That was a real disappointment, but at least we know we ran good.� WALLACE ON ELIMINATING RACING BACK TO THE YELLOW FLAG� �I think it�s a good thing,� said Wallace. �The first person running behind the leader that isn�t on the lead lap gets their lap back and I think that�s really good. I can tell you this, it is a lot easier to just slow down now than to worry about where the leader is and whether we can race fast enough to get by them and get a lap back. You don�t have to worry about racing back to the line anymore. At first I thought it was a bummer, but after the race last week in Dover I think it is a good thing.� WALLACE ON THE RULE CHANGES FOR THIS WEEKEND�S RACE� �I�m not sure what everyone wants to accomplish with these rule changes,� said Wallace. �Every time we go there they have another change, but I never see the racing changing on the track. We still run three and four wide and we still race in big packs. I don�t know, we�ll see how these affect the racing. All I can say is I wish they would go back to where the rules were in 2000 when you really could pass. I can remember running almost last and me and Earnhardt hooked up and passed 40 cars. He finished first and I finished right behind him. That was the best racing we had there.� [From Race2Win.Net] Chevy Rock & Roll 400 - Kenny Wallace Notes RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY CHEVY ROCK & ROLL 400 "Richmond is my all-time favorite race track. It is definitely time for me to have a good Winston Cup finish. I've had three Busch wins there and I really need to get those types of finishes in the Cup side. We had a good run going in the spring and it was spoiled with 14 laps to go. But, I'm definitely looking forward to going back and having another good run with a solid finish." - Kenny Wallace, driver of the No. 23 Stacker 2 Dodge WALLACE AND WIMMER WILL CARRY A SPECIAL DECAL TO PAY TRIBUTE TO FALLEN HEROES OF STATION #23. The Station #23 program was developed to pay tribute to the fallen firefighters of Station 23 FDNY (Midtown Manhattan), who were performing their jobs of saving lives when tragedy struck on September 11, 2001. The name of their station is "The Lion's Den." Through the common grief following September 11th, a special bond was created between Station 23 FDNY and Station 23, Grand Terrace (San Bernardino County FD) in Grand Terrace, California. The two have become "sister stations" and Station 23, Grand Terrace, has since adopted the name "The Lion's Den" in honor of the fallen firefighters. "The Lion's Den" decal being placed on the #23 Stacker 2 Busch and Cup cars feature both "sister stations" and will be included on the team cars throughout the month of September. WHAT STACKER 2 CAR WILL THE TEAM RUN THIS WEEKEND. The #23 Stacker 2 car Kenny Wallace will run this weekend is car #70. It's the same car the team ran at Richmond International Raceway in May (started 14th and finished 29th after knocking on the top 10 for most of the race before getting wreck with 14 laps to go), Martinsville Speedway (9th and finished 12th) and New Hampshire International Speedway (started 28th and finished 38th). WHAT STACKER 2 HAS GOING ON THIS WEEKEND. � Wallace will visit the Stacker 2 souvenir hauler on Saturday. Please check with the trackside trailer for the appropriate time of arrival. � Wallace will head right from Richmond International Speedway with fellow competitor and friend Ken Schrader to Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway, a 1/3-mile paved oval, to compete in a Sunoco Series race. Once that concludes, the two will then head to Tri-City Speedway, a �-mile clay oval, in Franklin, PA for a 25-lap dirt race. [From Race2Win.Net] Southern 500 - Kenny Wallace Notes DARLINGTON RACEWAY SOUTHERN 500 "Darlington has such an incredible amount of history, not just for the track, but for NASCAR. The date will change, but I think the Southern 500 tradition will stay the same - tough racing at a tough racetrack. I'd have liked to see the date stay the same, but I understand the need to expand the series too." - Kenny Wallace, driver of the No. 23 Stacker 2 Dodge WALLACE ON DARLINGTON. "Darlington Raceway is a track that will challenge any driver. There are a handful of drivers that really know how to manage their tires on the abrasive track and that puts them in position to be there in the end. The track surface has always been abrasive and it doesn't matter how good a tire compound Goodyear brings, the tire wear will be huge and that is what provides great racing. The nickname "Too Tough To Tame" is fitting because you can't tame the track, you have to manage it. You need to continually search for new lines on the track as your tires wear off. We hope our new car will handle well and hopefully I can keep the Stacker 2 Dodge off the wall and get a good finish." WHAT STACKER 2 CAR WILL THE TEAM RUN THIS WEEKEND. The #23 Stacker 2 car Kenny Wallace will run this weekend is car #77. It's a brand new car that hasn't seen a racetrack yet. Bill Davis Racing's Research and Development team took the car to the new wind tunnel facility in Mooresville and all the numbers indicated it was the best car they have in the fleet thus far. The numbers it blew, are the best numbers any car has blown to date. WHAT STACKER 2 HAS GOING ON THIS WEEKEND. � Kenny Wallace and Scott Wimmer spent Wednesday and Thursday testing at Kentucky Speedway. � Wallace will visit the Stacker 2 souvenir hauler on Saturday. Please check with the trackside trailer for the appropriate time of arrival. [From Race2Win.Net] |