USAR: Bristol: Steve Wallace preview

Career Track Statistics: Steve Wallace has started two career events at Bristol. In the 2004 Hooters Pro Cup event, Wallace started in the top-10 and remained there for much of the day until a horrific accident in turn three relegated him to a 21st place finish. Later the same year however, he would rebound from this accident and claim victory in the inaugural UARA Late Model Stock Car event at Bristol.

USAR Season to Date: Despite running a limited USAR schedule and being hampered by numerous mechanical problems, Steve Wallace currently sits 21st in the 2005 USAR Southern Division standings and is in contention to qualify for the post-season championship series. He has scored two top-10 finishes in his abbreviated season, including a seventh place finish in the USAR season opener at Lakeland, FL.

Momentum Builder: Steve Wallace comes to Bristol fresh off a victory in the ARCA Hantz Group 200 at Michigan International Speedway. By piloting the #27 Kodak Penske Racing Dodge to victory, Wallace became the youngest ever winner of a professional event at MIS at 18 years and 1 day. Further, Steve and Rusty Wallace became the seventh father-son combination to win professional races at MIS.

TV Notes: Look for Steve and Rusty Wallace to be featured during TNT's pre-race coverage prior to Saturday night's NEXTEL Cup event at Bristol. The segment will include footage from last week's ARCA victory at Michigan, as well as an in depth interview component.

Car History: The #66 Food City Wallace Racing Dodge that Wallace will pilot in Friday's event is a Steve Levitt chassis, powered by Mike Ege engines. It was last driven by Wallace in the Peach State Speedway event, in which he was taken out of contention by an early accident.

Crew: RWI Racing shop foreman Morey Herendeen and Wallace Racing car chief Jason Poole will oversee the at-track preparation of the car. Pit stop duties will be handled by Wallace's standard Hooters Cup pit crew.

Fatherly Advice: Steve Wallace's father, Rusty, leads all active NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers in wins at Bristol with nine. The elder Wallace plans to coach his son from the spotter's stand during the weekend's events.

Public Appearances: Steve Wallace will appear at Food City Race Night on State Street in Bristol on Thursday night, August 25. He will be signing autographs for the public from 6-8 PM.

QUOTES:

STEVE WALLACE, DRIVER # 66 FOOD CITY WALLACE RACING DODGE:
"Bristol has been a great track for both me and my family. We had a great run going in last year's Pro Cup race there, but ended up the night at the hospital. We kept working hard though and it paid off when we won the UARA race there later that year. That win meant so much to me, especially following the crash. My dad and uncles have won at Bristol so many times and to be able to add my name to the record books was really something special. A lot of people have heard about the big ARCA win we had with Penske Racing last week at Michigan. Hopefully we'll be able to build on the momentum from that win and put our Food City Dodge in Victory Lane at Bristol."

RUSTY WALLACE, NINE-TIME BRISTOL NEXTEL CUP WINNER:
"I'm really proud of Steve following that big win in Michigan last week. The kid has shown everyone that he can step up in big situations and really put in great drives. With my history here at Bristol and our car dealerships right down the road in Morristown, this race is certainly the kind of big situation in which Steve thrives. The consistency and reliability just hasn't been what we'd like with the Hooters Cup car this year, but we hope that will change this week. Steve tested at Bristol a few weeks ago and we feel that we came up with a good baseline setup. Unfortunately, we tried some different things and the car bottomed out and got away from him. They've got it put back together better than new and I really think that this is one of Steve's best shots at a Hooters win this year."

-WWW.STEVEWALLACEONLINE.COM