Post-Race Report
Bristol Motor Speedway
No. 01 Calhoun’s Chevrolet – Mike Wallace
GAFFNEY, S.C. (March 17, 2013) – Mike Wallace and the No. 01 Calhoun’s team entered Bristol with one goal, to finish the race. The team was able to overcome obstacles to accomplish this and more on a sunny afternoon at “The Last Great Colosseum.”
The race weekend began with two practice sessions on Friday. With unusually cold temperatures, the team knew that creating a setup that would be fast for the race would be difficult. The added pressure of qualifying on time for the race served as encouragement for the team to use the practice sessions wisely. At the end of the day, the team finished 36th and 33rd respectively.
Race day began with qualifying, where the veteran Wallace used his experience at Bristol to guarantee the team a starting spot in the race. Rolling off 33rd, the team immediately began to look for the first round of stops to work on the car and plan a race strategy to gain track position. After moving up to the top 30, Mike began to notice the water temp approaching 260 degrees. As the caution flew, the team immediately removed tape and cleaned the grill, and sent the No. 01 Calhoun’s Chevy back out to battle for position.
Throughout the race, the car remained tight, as CC Mark Browning continued to adjust the setup. As the checked flag flew, the team was relieved to bring home a top 25, with the car in one piece. The run catapulted Wallace up the drivers points standing to 27th, within 5 points of the top 25.
Mike Wallace Quotes: “The race weekend was a bit of a change for me and the team, as we were in a position of having to qualify on time. Due to our bad luck at the start of the season, it put our bunch in an unusual position. The car improved from first to second practice, and we were able to get the first job done. “
“Throughout the race we battled a tight condition, and for a time the engine temperature got hot from the amount of rubber build up. I am proud of our bunch for finishing in the top 25 with a clean car to take back to the shop. It was neat to have a local restaurant, Calhoun’s, on the car, and I would also like to thank Mayor Fox for our recent piece on the impact of NASCAR on the Charlotte area. We will now head back west as a team and look to improve at California.”
