NASCAR Cup
Kenny Wallace Talladega II preview
Kenny Wallace Seeks To Repeat Drafting Success To First Victory TALLADEGA, Ala. (Oct. 17, 2001) -- During last year's fall race in Talladega, Kenny Wallace followed the renowned "draft king" Dale Earnhardt from the middle of the pack toward the ...
Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Kenny Wallace Seeks To Repeat Drafting Success To First Victory
TALLADEGA, Ala. (Oct. 17, 2001) -- During last year's fall race in Talladega, Kenny Wallace followed the renowned "draft king" Dale Earnhardt from the middle of the pack toward the front very late in the race, assisting the seven-time champion to what would be his last victory, as he followed close in second place.
This year Wallace hopes to apply the same strategy on the 2.66-mile tri-oval of being patient and utilizing the draft to produce the first victory on a superspeedway for the #1 Pennzoil team during the EA SPORTS 500 this weekend.
Wallace was privy to have the back seat view as Earnhardt charged from the 16th spot into the lead in the final six laps of the Winston 500. Following closely, Wallace gave Earnhardt the push he needed to pass Mike Skinner for the lead as they took the white flag. Wallace made the decision to follow the eventual winner rather than his teammate in the #33 car as they sprinted toward the front, a move that gave him one of his best Winston Cup finishes.
"The memory of last year's race is still etched in my brain," said Wallace, who continues to drive in the #1 Pennzoil Chevrolet for injured Steve Park. "I was lucky enough to be in that position last year and it is something I will never forget. Dale (Earnhardt) thanked me after the race and that meant everything to me. It was a thrill to race with him in the draft since he's so legendary for his ability to 'feel the air'.
"Think we have a very good shot at winning this weekend," continued Wallace, who has posted five top-10 finishes in the past six races he's competed in at Talladega. "The guys at the Pennzoil shop are really excited about the superspeedway program as well."
"This will be a brand new race car for us at Talladega this weekend," said crew chief Paul Andrews. "We've taken it testing twice and it's good to go. The motor department at DEI has been working hard on horsepower and we're looking for a strong finish since Kenny typically runs well there.
"We were glad the Chevrolets didn't have any aero changes for this race," continued Andrews, who is referring to the changes NASCAR made for the Fords and Pontiacs for Talladega. "We gathered data on the aerodynamics of the Pennzoil car after it was built and feel we've got what we need. Last year threw us for a loop when they changed everything at the last minute."
"I really, truly believe we've got a shot at it this weekend," concluded Wallace. "It's a matter of putting yourself in the right position at the right time." <pre> Kenny Wallace Talladega Superspeedway Winston Cup Performance Record
Year Race Start Finish Laps Status
2001 Talladega 500 DNQ
2000 DieHard 500 26 40 130/188 Engine
Winston 500 7 2 188/188 Running
1999 DieHard 500 15 7 188/188 Running
Winston 500 3 5 188/188 Running
1998 DieHard 500 35 7 188/188 Running
Winston 500 40 40 107/188 Piston
1997 Winston 500 30 26 187/188 Running
DieHard 500 35 15 188/188 Running
1996 Winston 500 30 14 188/188 Running
DieHard 500 12 20 127/129 Running
1995 Winston 500 23 36 185/188 Running
1994 DieHard 500 16 9 188/188 Running
1993 Winston 500 17 14 188/188 Running
DieHard 500 34 35 94/188 Mechanical
-PM-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Team Monte Carlo Martinsville II race notes
Next article Harvick Talladega II preview
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Steve Park
Daytona cancels 'Battle at the Beach' for 2015
NASCAR
NASCAR
Daytona cancels 'Battle at the Beach' for 2015
Stevenson Motorsports closes GRANDAM era with a CTSCC second place at Lime Rock Park
Grand-Am
Grand-Am
Stevenson Motorsports closes GRANDAM era with a CTSCC second place at Lime Rock Park
Danica Patrick using Texas as jump start for 2013
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Danica Patrick using Texas as jump start for 2013
Latest news
Yamaha boss on MotoGP changes under Liberty: 'We must be careful not to lose our fans'
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Japanese GP
19 min
Yamaha boss on MotoGP changes under Liberty: 'We must be careful not to lose our fans'
Kyle Busch remembered: Rowdy’s most notable Phoenix moments
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
45 min
Kyle Busch remembered: Rowdy’s most notable Phoenix moments
How Geri Halliwell helped Christian Horner deal with fan hate
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 h
How Geri Halliwell helped Christian Horner deal with fan hate
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe