Mike Wallace, No. 7 GEICO Toyota Camry
Mooresville, N.C. (12-10-2007) - Germain Racing is proud to announce the addition of Mike Wallace and the no. 7 GEICO Toyota Camry to the team’s winning lineup. Wallace is coming off of his best NASCAR Busch Series career points finish – eleventh - in 2007. He will compete full-time in NASCAR’s #2 series in 2008 with continued sponsorship from long-time sponsor and active series advertiser, GEICO. In addition, the relationships with partners Sport Clips and Smith Transport will continue to play key roles with the no. 7 GEICO Camry.
“I’m very excited about driving the no. 7 GEICO Camry for Germain Racing. I’ve raced with Mike Hillman in the past and we have a mutual respect for one another. We are both no nonsense, hard-nosed racers and we understand and respect one another,” said Mike Wallace, a veteran of the NASCAR ranks who has amassed eight victories, with four collected in the former NASCAR Busch Series. “It is also exciting that Sport Clips and Smith Transport will once again be onboard with us as we move into the 2008 season. Getting the GEICO Camry to victory lane is a big priority for all of us this season.”
Germain Racing joined NASCAR’s top ranks in 2004 when the team first competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Richmond International Raceway. The fourth place finish that resulted was the spring board to the team’s championship success. Germain Racing earned two victories in 2004, five in 2005, three in 2006 and three more in 2007. The team became Toyota’s first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions in 2006, and Germain Racing charged into Busch Series competition in 2007 earning a top-ten finish after leading 15 laps in their first-ever Busch Series race.
“We are very proud to have GEICO and Mike Wallace join our race team,” said Mike Hillman Sr., General Manager of Germain Racing who, with the team’s 2006 Truck Series championship title now holds two NASCAR championship titles (Tommy Ellis, 1988, NASCAR Busch Grand National Series). “We had the opportunity to put Mike Wallace in a Toyota Tundra last season. He really worked well with the team, drove a very strong race and showed everyone that he will be a very competitive racer for us. I am confident that with Bruce Cook calling the shots, and everyone here at Germain Racing behind him and Mike, we will put the GEICO Camry in victory lane this season.”
Germain earned two top-ten finishes in five races in the Busch Series in 2007. In the Truck Series, Germain has won two or more races each year for a total of 13 wins. Along with the victories, the team earned 4 Bud Pole awards, 54 top-five and 81 top-ten finishes and led 1281 laps in 152 Truck Series races.
GEICO, who is entering their 8th year of involvement in America’s #2 racing series, has also experienced success in NASCAR. On July 2, 2004, Wallace passed Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jason Leffler coming out of Turn 4 to hand GEICO and Sport Clips their first NASCAR victory at Daytona International Speedway.
“You can’t say enough good things about GEICO. The branding they do, the effort they put into advertising their name beyond the GEICO Camry, to the grandstands and outside the race track. They are a great sponsor and we are hoping to perform well for them this season,” said Wallace, who just returned from Hollywood, Ca., where he was involved in a media production on behalf of GEICO. “We had a great time in L.A. I’m not going to give away too much, but I have to tell you that Lauren Wallace is coming after me in 2008. Our GEICO Camry will need to be fast.”
GEICO has 8 million auto policyholders and the number is growing. Visit www.GEICO.com to find out how the fastest-growing major auto insurer in the U.S. can help you. For news and information on the GEICO racing program, visit www.GEICOracing7.com.
To learn more about the Sport Clips Racing program, please visit www.SportClips.com.
Germain Racing information can be found at www.germainracing.com.