Much like the summer temperatures, the 2011 Nationwide Series season could very well be heating up for Rusty Wallace Racing’s Steve Wallace (No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry). The young pilot overcame a suspected cut tire and a loose race car to score a seventh-place finish in Saturday’s Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The event marked his fourth finish of 11th or better in his last five Nationwide Series starts and his first career top-ten finish at Charlotte. The 23-year old wheelman now owns top-ten finishes at 21 of 29 tracks on which he has competed.
With his effort, Wallace maintained his eighth-place ranking in the 2011 Nationwide Series driver standings. His finish allowed him to gain 13 points on seventh-place Kenny Wallace and he now stands 27 points from taking ownership of the seventh-place ranking.
“This was a good finish for our 5-Hour Energy Toyota,” noted Wallace. “We haven’t been very strong at intermediate tracks this season, so we brought an entirely different handling package here. It was by far the best we’ve been on this type of track. Don’t get me wrong, we still have a long way to go, but any time you can make a big gain, it’s definitely a good thing.”
Rusty Wallace Racing PR
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