Kenny Wallace
No. 09 American Ethanol Toyota Camry
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date:Â Â Â Â Daytona 500 – February 26, 2011
Venue:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Daytona International Speedway
Kenny Wallace’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Performance History at Daytona International Speedway
Date
Start
Finish
Laps Completed
Status
02/14/93
24
23
199/200
running
07/03/93
32
28
157/160
running
02/18/96
33
21
199/200
running
07/06/96
21
38
100/117
crash
02/16/97
36
22
200/200
running
07/05/97
27
11
160/160
running
10/17/98
28
35
113/160
engine
02/14/99
33
42
92/200
engine
07/03/99
28
15
160/160
running
02/20/00
39
29
199/200
running
07/01/00
26
19
160/160
running
02/18/01
23
25
184/200
crash
02/17/02
18
30
161/200
running
07/06/02
15
42
57/160
crash
02/16/03
21
16
109/109
running
07/05/03
29
15
160/160
running
02/20/05
21
40
39/203
engine
07/07/07
43
25
160/160
running
02/17/08
17
43
141/200
engine
Totals/Avg.
27.1
27.3
2750/3309
Notes:
This Week’s American Ethanol Toyota … Kenny Wallace will pilot RAB Racing Chassis No. 51 is his bid to make the 54th-annual Daytona 500. Purchased from Red Bull Racing, this chassis saw action last year when Brian Vickers piloted this Toyota Camry to a fifth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway.
Debut at Daytona … The 54th-annual Daytona 500 marks RAB Racing’s first attempt at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. Not only will the team debut a Sprint Cup Series Toyota Camry, but also a Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra.
Kenny’s Quest … Since RAB Racing announced that they would enter Wallace in the Daytona 500, SPEED has been shooting a documentary following his pursuit of making The Great American race. “Kenny Wallace: Chasing Daytona” will air Wednesday, February 22 at 9 p.m. EST. Wallace at Daytona … Wallace has raced at the 2.5-mile track 19 times in his Sprint Cup Series career, and 23 times in the Nationwide Series. Wallace has also competed in two Budweiser Shootouts, finishing second in 1998 and ninth in 2002.
Dueling in Daytona … In his past four Gatorade Duels, Wallace has finished no worse than 11th, with a career-best finish of eighth in 2008. RAB Racing at Daytona … In six NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Daytona International Speedway, RAB Racing has earned one top-10 finish, which came when the series last raced there in July 2011, when Kenny Wallace drove the No. 09 Toyota to a seventh-place finish in the Subway Jalapeño 250. RAB Racing entries have completed 638 of the 664 (96.1 percent) laps contested in those events. Additionally, in four ARCA RE/MAX Series starts at Daytona, RAB Racing has earned one top-five finish. Racing Our Way In … Having to race his way into the Daytona 500 in 2008 with Furniture Row Racing, Wallace is familiar with the situation that he finds himself in with RAB Racing. He transferred in to the feature event via an eighth-place finish in the first Gatorade Duel that year.
Double Duty … In addition to his duties in the Sprint Cup Series, Wallace will keep his day job as driver of the No. 09 Family Farmers Toyota Camry in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300. New Website … Not only is RAB Racing expanding on the track, but also off the track with the launch of our new website. Our updated site makes it easy for fans and media to follow along throughout the 2012 season. Visit www.TeamRAB.com for news, releases, results, and multimedia. Looking Back at 2011 … RAB Racing and Wallace accumulated one top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 16.1 and an average finishing position of 15.8 in the 34 events raced in 2011. Wallace led nine laps of competition and completed 97 percent of the laps contested (6,203 of 6,397). RAB Racing was the top-finishing Toyota in the driver championship point standings and the only single-car Nationwide Series team in the top-10. Catch the Action … The Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway will be televised live Sunday, Feb. 26 beginning at 1 p.m. EST on FOX and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network. The Gatorade Duels will be televised live Thursday, Feb. 23 beginning at 1 p.m. EST on SPEED and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network.
Kenny Wallace Quotes:
How important is the 54th-annual Daytona 500 to you?
“Anytime that a racecar driver has the opportunity to run in the Daytona 500, it’s a dream come true. Even though I’ve been in ten of these, this 11th one is the most important start of my life. My seats are fitted, the No. 09 American Ethanol Toyota Camry looks good, and I’m ready to get down there and get to business.”
You’ve transferred in to the Daytona 500 in years past via the Gatorade Duels. Do you feel any added pressure to maintain your performance?
“The Gatorade Duels are more important to me than the Daytona 500 because if I run well in them, then I’m in the Daytona 500. I know that there are a lot of drivers locked in, but for RAB Racing and me, we’re not. The Twin 150s are our Daytona 500.”
