the headlines.
–For the first time in his young career, Steve Wallace will have Sprint Cup / Nationwide Series “double duty” this weekend. The 23 year-old will make his Sprint Cup Series debut Sunday on NASCAR’s biggest stage, the 53rd annual running of the Daytona 500. Wallace has previously raced in Nationwide Series combination events with both the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA.
–Also pulling “double duty” this weekend are several members of RWR’s No. 66 and No. 62 teams. In addition to many of the over the wall crew members that will serve on the No. 77 team on Sunday, No. 62 crew chief, Jason Overstreet will serve as spotter for the No. 77 and No. 62 race engineer, Jason Stockert, will serve in the same role for the No. 77 team as well. No. 66 crew chief, Doug Randolph will serve in an advisory role to No. 77 crew chief Larry Carter on Sunday.
–In an effort to jump start communication between Wallace and new crew chief, Doug Randolph, Randolph has called the shots for Wallace’s No. 77 Cup Series team throughout the Daytona Cup Series test, practice and qualifying. Larry Carter will assume sole command of the No. 77 team when the Nationwide Series garage opens.
–With the new Nationwide Series points system in place, Steve Wallace has emerged as one of a handful of pre-season favorites for the Nationwide Series drivers’ championship. Wallace is one of only four drivers ranked among the 2010 top-ten that will be eligible for the 2011 drivers’ title. Noted Wallace, “The game has definitely changed and it starts right now. Consistency is more important than ever. We want to win races as much as ever, but now, you have to pay a lot of attention to the big picture. We’re ready for the challenge.”
–Rusty Wallace Racing is pleased to welcome Aspen Dental as an associate sponsor for the 2011 Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series seasons. With more than 275 dental practices in 21 states, Aspen Dental is committed to providing patients with affordable, high-quality dental care in a welcoming environment. Services range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration. For more information, visit www.aspendental.com
the machines.
–Team 66 Primary: RWR-056-A new specialized super-speedway car,chassis 056 will make its debut this week in Daytona.
–Team 66 Backup: RWR-052-A backup car for super-speedways and fast intermediate tracks, car 052 made its debut in the July 2010 Daytona event, after a bizarre practice incident saw unsecured ballast from a backmarker impact the front of the No. 66 team’s primary car.
the history.
–Steve Wallace at Daytona International Speedway: Steve Wallace has four lead-lap top-15 finishes in has last five NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Daytona. His best Daytona finish of tenth came in last February’s Nationwide race. In the remaining event, Wallace was taken out of contention in a bizarre incident with Jason Leffler, who was subsequently penalized five laps for his actions against Wallace.
your weekly energy shot.
–Did You Know?: 5-Hour Energy contains a blend of B-vitamins, amino acids and essential nutrients. It contains zero sugar, zero herbal stimulants and four calories. The amount of caffeine varies depending on the energy shot. Original 5-Hour Energy contains as much caffeine as a cup of premium coffee. Extra Strength contains as much as 12 ounces of premium coffee, while Decaf 5-Hour Energy contains only as much caffeine as a half cup of decaffeinated coffee.
–Welcome, Winn-Dixie: 5-Hour Energy Racing welcomes Winn-Dixie as a partner for the Daytona event. Winn-Dixie branding will adorn the television panel of Steve Wallace’s No. 66 car for the Nationwide Series race in Daytona.
from the cockpit.
–Q: You’ll be racing in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races this week. How much do you think that will benefit you?
SW: “It will be a big benefit this week for a few reasons. First, because of the information we’re able to transfer to our Nationwide program. We learned a lot about this style of car in the Cup test and we were able to build a lot of that into the Nationwide cars. That’ll continue throughout the week. Second, there’s a real technique to the two-car draft that takes some practice. We think it’ll be as prominent in the Nationwide cars as it is in the Cup cars, so the more practice I can get doing that, the more of an advantage we’ll have.”
–Q: With over 1,000 miles of driving, between practice, qualifying, the 150s, the Nationwide race and the Daytona 500, how will you ensure you’re physically and mentally ready to go?
SW: “Hydration throughout the week is really, really important, as well as having a good diet, getting lots of rest and making sure to use some 5-Hour Energy!”
About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC
North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary history of its founder, Rusty Wallace-one of NASCAR’s top-ten drivers of all-time. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys in the prestigious NASCAR Nationwide Series, driven by Steve Wallace and Michael Annett, respectively. RWR entries have been among the top-ten in the final Nationwide Series driver or owner standings in each of the last three seasons. For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.com.
