Kenny Wallace
No. 99 Illinois Soybean Association Toyota Camry
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Dollar General 300 – September 15, 2012
Venue: Chicagoland Speedway
News & Notes:
This Week’s Illinois Soybean Association Toyota … Kenny Wallace will pilot RAB Racing with Brack Maggard chassis No. 40 in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.. Built new for 2011, Wallace last piloted this Toyota Camry to a 36th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last August. Misfortune struck the veteran driver halfway through the 250-lap contest when, while running in the third position, he experienced a tire failure that eliminated him from competition prematurely. Since then, this Toyota Camry has been converted from its original configuration to a downforce machine.
Welcome Home, Kenny … Since the closing of Gateway International Raceway following the 2010 season, Wallace, a native of St. Louis, Mo., has adopted Chicagoland Speedway as his home track. The youngest of the three Wallace brothers, Kenny began his racing career in his home state in 1982. Since then, he has claimed three poles, six top-five and 27 top-10 finishes in 344 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts; 10 poles, nine wins, 66 top fives and 173 top 10s in 532 Nationwide Series starts; and two top-five finishes in 11 Camping World Truck Series races.
Chicago Flashback …In July’s running of the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, Wallace drove the No. 99 Family Farmers Toyota Camry from 11th on the starting grid to a fourth-place finish, RAB Racing’s highest finishing position of the season, and Wallace’s best since finishing third at Memphis Motorsports Park in October of 2008.
Wallace at Chicago … In 11 Nationwide Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Wallace has garnered one top-five, two top-10 and four top-20 finishes.His best showing at the 1.5-mile track is fourth, which the St. Louis-native posted earlier this season. Additionally, the nine-time Nationwide Series race winner has an average starting position of 22.3 and an average finish of 22.5 at the suburban Chicago tri-oval.
RAB at Chicago … RAB Racing with Brack Maggard has fielded Nationwide Series entries at Kentucky Speedway five times since 2009, with drivers Landon Cassill, John Wes Townley, and Wallace. The team’s best showing at the Joliet tri-oval is a fourth-place finish, which was posted by Wallace in July’s STP 300. Zipadelli at Chicago … Crew chief Scott Zipadelli has sat atop the pit box as a Nationwide Series crew chief at Chicagoland Speedway six times, boasting two top-five and three top-10 finishes. He posted his highest finish, fourth, on two occasions, with drivers Jason Leffler and Wallace.
Get to the Points … As we head into the 26th race of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, RAB Racing currently occupies the 20th position in the owner’s points standings.
Catch the Action … The Dollar General 300 from Chicagoland Speedway will be televised live Saturday, September 15 beginning at3:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2 and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network. NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying will be televised live Saturday, September 15 beginning at noon EDT on SPEED.
Kenny Wallace Quotes:
“I’m excited to go back to Chicagoland Speedway because we ran extremely well and finished fourth there earlier this season. We are going back with different Illinois Soybean Toyota Camry, but it is basically our newest, most updated car. I’m very close to calling Chicago my home track; it’s only four and a half hours away from St. Louis, so it’s going to be a big week in a big city. Every time I race, I go in hoping to get my tenth win and I believe the chances are very high this weekend.”
Scott Zipadelli Quotes:
“Our second Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway is different in a few ways. We will practice early in the afternoon, after the Sprint Cup cars, and they will put some rubber down on what is often times a green track for the start of our practice session there. It can be hot and slick there in the summer, and the track usually loses grip from the first race to the second race. We practice at the same time of day Friday as we’ll race on Saturday, so that should get us close to the race track temperatures and conditions. The tires change fast at Chicago, so you have to be careful to not over adjust your car in practice. Sometimes, the least amount of practice is better than running lots of laps. We will race a different Illinois Soybean Toyota Camry than the last time we raced at Chicagoland, but will start with the same setup and adjust from there in practice.”
