Player Management International Release
Hampton, GA (March 8, 2008) – After a beautiful weekend in Las Vegas, the GEICO Racing team would arrive in Atlanta only to encounter weather typically reserved for the Midwest during this time of year. Qualifying would even be canceled due to snow. That’s right, snow.
When Mike Wallace and the #7 GEICO Camry hit the track for practice on Friday, they were hoping to find the speed they had in the Las Vegas race a week ago. Unfortunately, their practice times would mirror those of a week ago in the desert. The final practice session, which due to rain would be the sole session, would not go well, however towards the end of the session Wallace radioed in and said the car felt like it was getting much better. Ironically, this was the same statement that he made a week ago prior to the end of the final practice session in Las Vegas, where the final race result was a 7th place finish.
Snow would blanket Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday morning and provide temperatures that seemed more appropriate for a late-season college football game than a NASCAR race. Amid the wind and cold, fans would still file in to see the Nicorette 300 on Saturday afternoon, as the skies would begin to clear around noon and provide a beautiful day for racing. Unfortunately, the cold and heavy winds would not depart the 1.54-mile quad-oval.
Inclement weather forced the cancellation of qualifying on Saturday morning, so Wallace and the #7 GEICO Camry would start the Nicorette 300 from the 19th position, as the field was lined up according to the final 2007 point standings.
When the green flag waved, Wallace would battle a loose condition and, consequently, move quickly backwards during the opening laps, falling back as far as 26th before the first round of pit stops. The Germain Racing team would work hard on the GEICO Camry to get the set up corrected and help Wallace make up ground on the field.
The work of the GEICO team would pay off, as Wallace and the Gecko would move steadily through the field and run lap times quicker than the cars they were chasing. Wallace would run as high as 7th, however a green flag pit stop would set him back and he would be forced to battle hard to record a solid 17th place finish.
“We had a decent day and worked hard to get that 17th place finish,” Wallace said. “We encountered some difficulties early in the race, but this GEICO team worked really hard to get the car corrected and it paid off as the race wore on. We didn’t finish as well as we would’ve liked, but we got a solid finish and now we’re going to Bristol next week to try to win a race. I have traditionally experienced success in Bristol, so next week I’m going to work hard to take the #7 GEICO Camry to Victory Lane.”
This week, the Germain Racing team will pack up the #7 GEICO Camry and head to Bristol Motor Speedway for some good ‘ole fashioned beating and banging on the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile’ race track.
Mike Wallace and the #7 GEICO Camry will hit the track at Bristol Motor Speedway for their first practice on Friday, March 14th, at 1:40 PM (ET). Final practice is also on Friday at 4:45 PM (ET), followed by qualifying on Saturday morning at 9:40 AM (ET).
The Sharpie Mini 300 is on Saturday, March 15th, and it will be televised live on ABC beginning at 2:00 PM (ET), while the Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
Visit the new innovative, interactive GEICO Racing web site at: www.geicogarage.com
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