Luck Doesn’t Change for Valvoline Team At Chicagoland

The #10 Valvoline Pontiac team brought to Chicagoland Speedway a new driver in Mike Wallace and a new paint scheme with Fozzy The Bear pictured all over the blue and black car.

Unfortunately, it also brought the same bad luck that has plagued the team in
the 2002 season no matter who the driver was or which paint scheme the car
sported.

But the day started out pretty good.

Mike Wallace, who was substituting for injured driver Johnny Benson, seemed on the verge of a pretty good finish half way though the race on the 1.5-mile
oval. After starting in 36th, Wallace and Crew Chief James Ince devised a fuel
strategy that would pay out dividends at the end of the race.

Wallace made an extra stop early in the race and was in a better position than
most of his competitors for the long green flag runs and end-of-the-race fuel
mileage strategy that dominate races at Chicagoland.

“We’ve committed ourselves to the plan and I think it’s going to work
especially if this goes green at the end,” Ince told Wallace during the race
over the team radio.

Wallace had fallen down a lap early in the race, because he was on a different
pit stop schedule than the race leaders. But that paid off later when Wallace
stayed out about a dozen extra lap after the leaders pitted and took advantage
of a lap 136 caution brought on by Michael Waltrip’s engine problem.

The pit strategy combined with the timely yellow flag allowed Wallace to regain
the lost lap and he moved into the top 15 setting himself up for the final half
of the race.

“We were looking pretty good then,” Wallace said after the race. “I think we were going to have a nice finish. Everyone was doing a good job and I was comfortable in the car.”

Then Lady Luck once again reared its ugly head.

Several laps after teammate Kenny Schrader’s day ended with a blown engine
Wallace reported similar problems. He brought the car to pit road where the
diagnosis was not good.

Wallace returned to the track hoping the engine would live but a few laps later
parked the Valvoline Pontiac for the afternoon with a 38th place finish.

“Yeah, it’s disappointing,” Wallace said. “I enjoyed the weekend. Wish it could
have been under different circumstance because I hate what happened to Johnny but they gave me a good car today and we had a good run before the problems.”

Kevin Harvick used fuel mileage at the end to beat Jeff Gordon to the finish line.

Wallace turns the driving duties over to Jerry Nadeau beginning Monday during
the team’s two-day test at Indianapolis. Nadeau will race at New Hampshire
International Speedway next weekend and remain in the Valvoline Pontiac until
Benson recovers from the three broken ribs he suffered at Daytona in the Pepsi
400 on July 6.

Additional Wallace Quotes:

"It was something engine related. I really don't know what happened. It was like it lost a cylinder or something like that, but I'm not a motor guy. It just started missing and then something severe happened to it.

"Up to that point, we had gotten ourselves back on the lead lap and were having a good run. It was going to be a good day. All the guys did a great job on the  team. It's disappointing for them, as much as is it for me. They just need to know they did a great job."

Results:
1 Kevin Harvick
2 Jeff Gordon
3 Tony Stewart
4 Jimmie Johnson *
5 Ryan Newman *
6 Kurt Busch
7 Bill Elliott
8 Robby Gordon
9 Mark Martin
10 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11 Dale Jarrett
12 Jeff Green
13 Terry Labonte
14 Matt Kenseth
15 Bobby Hamilton
16 Sterling Marlin
17 Dave Blaney
18 Bobby Labonte
19 Ricky Rudd
20 Ricky Craven
21 Elliott Sadler
22 John Andretti
23 Mike Skinner
24 Kyle Petty
25 Rusty Wallace
26 Todd Bodine
27 Steve Park
28 Casey Atwood
29 Kenny Wallace
30 Brett Bodine
31 Steve Grissom
32 Jimmy Spencer
33 Joe Nemechek
34 Jeremy Mayfield
35 Stacy Compton
36 Hut Stricklin
37 Jerry Nadeau
38 Mike Wallace
39 Jeff Burton
40 Ken Schrader
41 Ward Burton
42 Michael Waltrip
43 Stuart Kirby