THE RACE.
EVENT:Â 5-Hour Energy 200, Round 11 of 34Â in the 2011 Nationwide Series
DATE / TIME:Â Saturday, May 12, 2011, 2:00 PM ET
VENUE:Â Dover Int’l Speedway, Dover, DE (1.000-Mile Oval)
DISTANCE:Â 200 Laps, 200 Miles
TV (Pre-Race):Â NASCAR Countdown, ESPN (Live-1:30 PM ET)
TV (Race):Â ESPN (Live-2:00 PM ET)
RADIO:Â MRN Radio / Sirius (Live-2:00 PM ET)
THE HEADLINES.
THE STORY:Â On the heels of his season-best top-five effort last week in Darlington, the now top-ten ranked Steve Wallace and RWR’s flagship No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry spearhead the team’s fleet of three 5-Hour Energy Toyotas for Saturday’s 5-Hour Energy 200.
STEVE WALLACE AT DOVER: Steve Wallace enters this weekend’s 5-Hour Energy 200 on a streak of three-straight lead-lap top-15 finishes at Dover. His best finish of 11th at “The Monster Mile” came in the 2008 running of this event. He has finished on the lead lap in five of the last six Dover races and has posted top-15 starts in four of the last five.
A COMMANDING PRESENCE: Rusty Wallace, along with 5-Hour Energy executive, Rise Meguiar, will serve as the Grand Marshals for Saturday’s race. Together, they will give the starting command to the 43-car field.
NO. 66 TEAM ON TV: Steve Wallace, along with his No. 66 5-Hour Energy team, participated in his fourth national TV commercial shoot on behalf of primary sponsor, 5-Hour Energy, on Tuesday and Wednesday in Charlotte. Information on a launch date will be forthcoming.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Rusty Wallace Racing tested on Monday and Tuesday at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia. Steve Wallace took the helm of the team’s test vehicle on Monday, while Michael Annett piloted the car on Tuesday, when Wallace returned to North Carolina for the production of a 5-Hour Energy TV commercial.
A HELPING HAND: RWR’s No. 62, No. 64 and No. 66 cars-along with the other Toyota factory teams-will carry graphics supporting the Red Cross’s Japan Disaster Relief efforts again this weekend in Dover. Donations to the relief efforts can be made online at redcross.org.
THE MACHINES.
TEAM 66 PRIMARY: RWR-064-New for 2011, Car 064 has a pair of starts thus far in 2011. It made its debut with Wallace at the April Texas event and was piloted by David Reutimann several weeks later at Nashville.
TEAM 66 SECONDARY: RWR-052-Reconfigured as an intermediate car for 2011, Car 052 has yet to make its 2011 on-track debut, but scored a top-15 in its first start at Daytona last year.
THE ENERGY SHOT.
HOWDY, PARTNERS: 5-Hour Energy Racing welcomes Walgreens, Safeway and Century Distributors as partners for the 5-Hour Energy 200 event. Branding from all three entities will appear on Steve Wallace’s No. 66 car during Saturday’s race.
WALK THIS WAY: Race fans can meet Steve Wallace during 5-Hour Energy’s track walk on Saturday morning, from 9:00 AM-9:45 AM. The No. 77 5-Hour Energy Camry that Wallace drove in this year’s Daytona 500 will be on display as well.
FROM THE COCKPIT.
Q:Â You tied your career-best finish last week at Darlington; after a slow start to 2011, do you think that your No. 66 team has started to turn the corner?
A: “I don’t know if I’d say that, but last week was definitely the best intermediate-type car we’ve had all year. It was the first time we’ve had a car that was really consistent lap to lap. Our guys have been working hard to get caught up on our COT program and hopefully, last week was a sign that we’re heading the right way. We still have a ways to go, though.”
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About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC
North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary racing history of its founder, Rusty Wallace. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys-driven by Steve Wallace and Michael Annett, respectively-in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. RWR will also campaign the No. 64 Camry in select 2011 events. RWR entries have finished among the top-ten in the 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.
About Living Essentials, LLC
Living Essentials, LLC, based in Farmington Hills Michigan, is the maker of 5-Hour Energy, the category leader in 2 oz. liquid energy shots. 5-Hour Energy is available nationwide at major retailers in the Grocery, Drug Store, Mass Merchant, Warehouse and Convenience Store classes of trade. Living Essentials sells over seven million bottles of 5-Hour Energy per week. For more information, please visit 5hourenergy.com.
