Monday, April 23, 2012

Steve Wallace Set For Nationwide Return

Steve Wallace returns at Richmond.
Steve Wallace will make his 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at the wheel of Rusty Wallace Racing’s No. 4 Loanmax Ford Mustang in this weekend’s Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Although his Rusty Wallace Racing team has taken a hiatus from full-time Nationwide Series competition this season, Wallace looks to return to the series in a limited 2012 schedule, beginning with the Richmond event. 

Wallace's Ford Mustang has been prepared out of the Rusty Wallace Racing shops, in collaboration with JTG Daugherty Racing. JTGD's No. 47 Sprint Cup crew will pit the No. 4 car, with crew chief Todd Berrier calling the shots on race day. Former RWR crew chief Blake Bainbridge will head the team during practice, assisted by Wallace's 2011 car chief, Ricky Cade. 

Richmond has been one of Wallace's most consistent venues in the past. He enters the weekend with nine-straight top-20 finishes at the Virginia bullring, and during that span, completed all but three of 2,258 possible laps. His owns a career-best Richmond finish of fifth and came home 11th in last year's race, after battling back from mechanical difficulties. 

Wallace and the No. 4 team tested their new Ford Mustang for the first time last Thursday at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, VA. The car is a former Roush Fenway Racing entry driven by Trevor Bayne, and will be powered by Roush-Yates Engines. 

"I'm really excited to get back on the racetrack,” said Wallace. “We've worked very hard to make this happen. Blake (Bainbridge) and I, along with a couple of other guys, put the entire car together. We tested it the other day up at Motor Mile Speedway and it went really well. Hopefully, we'll have a smooth race and put together a good finish that can help us firm up some sponsorship to run more races this year. Right now, our goal is to run 10 or so races and look at going racing again full-time in 2013. Just like everyone else, though, that's just dependent on sponsorship.

“I also want to thank Todd Berrier and everyone at JTG Daugherty Racing for helping us out this weekend. Having someone with his experience on the radio will definitely help us a lot."

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