Player Management International Media Release
Brooklyn, MI (August 18, 2007) – With Detroit being the home of the big three automakers, the Michigan race is exciting on many levels. Mike Wallace, who drives the #7 GEICO Chevrolet, was looking forward to helping Chevrolet make progress in the manufacturer’s championship.
Wallace’s #7 GEICO Chevrolet was good in practice on Friday and while the first practice found him 25th on the charts, he would improve in the final practice to 22nd. Wallace said the car felt good and the Phoenix Racing team set their sights on qualifying, which was scheduled for Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning, Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet would pace the 2-mile D-shaped oval in 39.466 seconds, at a rate of 182.436 MPH during qualifying. The Gecko would find itself starting in the 23rd position, sandwiched between Mark Martin, who started 22nd, and Tony Stewart, who would start the race in the 24th position.
When the green flag waved in the Irish Hills of Michigan, Wallace would make little progress, but he would continue to battle throughout the race. At one point, the #7 GEICO Chevrolet found itself in the Top 15, but would struggle to maintain its position. Although the motor would prove to be off, Wallace would still manage to turn some of the fastest laps of the race. However, when the sun set on Michigan International Speedway, Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet would take the checkered flag in the 23rd position.
“This is very disappointing for us today because we felt we were going to be pretty good here and the car felt good in practice and qualifying,” Wallace said after the race. “Unfortunately, the motor was down on horsepower during the race and we had to struggle just to get the 23rd place finish. The team did a good job all weekend and I’m looking forward to getting to Bristol next week. We ran great there in the Spring and had ourselves in position to win the race.”
This week, Mike Wallace and the GEICO Racing team head to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, for the Food City 250 on Friday, August 24, 2007.
Wallace and the #7 GEICO Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will hit the half-mile oval at Bristol Motor Speedway for their first practice session on Friday, August 24th, at 9:00 AM (ET), with final practice at 10:15 AM (ET). Qualifying is set for Friday afternoon at 4:35 PM (ET).
On Friday night, August 24th, the Food City 250 NASCAR Busch Series race will be televised live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 7:30 PM (ET) and green flag action coming at 8:00 PM (ET). Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
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.