. This Week’s 5-Hour Energy Toyota … Steve Wallace will pilot Rusty Wallace Racing chassis RWR-052 in Saturday afternoon’s Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. Built new for the 2011 season, this Toyota Camry debuted at Road America in June, where the Greensboro, N.C.-native started sixth and led four laps before being involved in an incident that eliminated him from contention after 52 of 57 laps.
. Through 22 Races … With 22 races of the 2011 season in the record books, Wallace has accumulated one top-five, four top 10 and 11 top-15 finishes, an average starting position of 13.6 and an average finish of 16.5. Wallace has completed 97.6 percent of the laps contested (4,044 of 4,143) thus far.
. Get to the Points … Wallace is currently ranked eighth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings, 66 in arrears to seventh-place driver Kenny Wallace.
. Wallace at The Glen … In four previous Nationwide Series starts at Watkins Glen, Wallace has recorded one top-10 finish and has been atop the leaderboard for two circuits. Wallace’s finishes at the Glen over the last four years have been trending in the right direction. Since finishing 34th in his first appearance in August of 2007, Wallace has recorded finishes of 28th, 12th and ninth, respectively.
. Road Course Averages … In 12 previous Nationwide Series road course starts (Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Road America, and Watkins Glen International) Wallace has four top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 12.167, an average finish of 20.167, has completed 751 of 873 of the laps contested and has led six laps.
. Welcome Aboard … 5-Hour Energy Racing welcomes Country Fair and Price Chopper as partners for this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen. Country Fair branding will adorn the TV panel of Wallace’s No. 66 Toyota in Saturday afternoon’s race, while Price Chopper logos will be displayed on the lower rear quarter panels.
. Last Time at The Glen … Wallace scored a career-best ninth-place in the 2010 running of the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. The finish placed him alongside road racing ace Ron Fellows and Brad Keselowski as the only drivers to score top-ten finishes at Road America and Watkins Glen last season.
. Last Time Out … A yeoman’s effort by Wallace and the No. 66 5-Hour Energy team in last Saturday night’s U.S Cellular 200 at Iowa Speedway afforded the 23-year-old driver an eighth-place finish, his second top-10 showing in four tries at the Midwest oval.
. Rusty Wallace Racing at Watkins Glen … In 11 previous Nationwide Series starts at Watkins Glen, Rusty Wallace Racing entries have recorded one pole (Kenny Wallace, 6/92), one top-five and three top-10 finishes, and have been atop the leaderboard for 10 laps.
. Rusty Wallace Racing in 2011 … With 22 of 34 races completed thus far in the 2011 season, Rusty Wallace Racing’s three NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded a combined two top-five, 10 top 10 and 23 top-15 finishes. Rusty Wallace Racing Toyotas have completed 8,756 of 9,102 laps attempted, and have been atop the leaderboard for 19 laps with drivers Michael Annett, Jason Bowles, David Reutimann and Wallace.
. Welcome Home, Eddie … Eddie D’Hondt, Jr., mechanic and rear tire carrier, is the only native New Yorker on the No. 66 5-Hour Energy team. D’Hondt was born and raised in East Islip, located about 300 miles east of Watkins Glen.
. Cast Your Vote … Voting has begun for the Most Popular Driver of the Year award in the Nationwide Series. Fans are encouraged to log onto NASCAR.com to vote for their favorite driver from the series once per day until voting ends on Thursday, November 17.
“I always seem to run well every time we race at Watkins Glen, but the finishes don’t always show that. In 2008, we were running fourth with just a few laps to go, and we ran out of gas. I really enjoy the track, the area and the history of the place. I’ve gotten accustomed to it over the years, and I always look forward to coming back.” – Steve Wallace on racing at Watkins Glen International
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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
Farmington Hills, MI-based Living Essentials, LLC, is the maker of 5-Hour Energy, the category leader in two-ounce 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.
