Mike Wallace and the No. 01 I Hate Steven Singer Chevrolet earn top-20 finish at Phoenix
GAFFNEY, S.C. (November 13, 2011) – Mike Wallace and the No. 01 IHateStevenSinger.comChevrolet team of JD Motorsport did exactly what they needed to succeed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Speedway on Saturday afternoon. After using the three practice sessions on the newly-paved and reconfigured track, they lined up 36thfor the 200-lap race around the one-mile oval. And, once the green flag flew, Wallace did exactly what was needed to succeed.
In addition to moving up eight spots in the first 20 laps, he also managed to avoid multiple car wrecks. The team’s set up worked well on their No. 01 Chevrolet to the point it didn’t cause a right front tire blowout like it did for some other teams. Each of them suffered severe damage to their cars to the point some were knocked out of the race. But, Wallace and the JD Motorsports team kept their red I Hate Steven Singer car intact and in the action. So much so they were able to take advantage of the Lucky Dog Rule when the second caution waved on lap 37. Now back on the lead lap, the handling of Wallace’s race car was starting to improve as the race continued.
Several more cautions enabled him to hit pit road for tires, fuel and more adjustments. Each time, the car responded and kept them in a competitive mode. Their only error of the day was when the air hose was run over by the left front tire exiting the pit box after a stop under caution late in the race. As a result, Wallace was forced to start at the end of the longest line putting him down several positions from where he was running before the mishap.
Not able to capitalize like they wanted because of more cautions that followed, Wallace was able to improve to 16th place when the checkered flag flew. As the series heads to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he remains 13th in the Driver’s Standings.
Mike Wallace Quotes: “We were just getting better and better as the race went on, but just weren’t able to do it soon enough to take advantage of our car’s improvement. The good news is we didn’t have any tire problems or get caught up in the wrecks.”
“Finishing 16th is pretty good, but in looking at the monitor afterwards we could have finished at least 13th without that air hose deal. But, the good news is we didn’t tear the car up and were able to leave Phoenix with the car in one piece.”
“We’ll go to Homestead and finish out the year on a good note. The whole family is going and Chrissy, my ASA Championship driving daughter, is going to be down there making some contacts to see what’s available for next year.”
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