FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWTON, IA (July 31, 2009)--Said RWR driver Steve Wallace (No. 66 Chevrolet Impala SS) earlier this week, "The inaugural race at Iowa Speedway definitely means more to our team than most races do; it would be huge if somehow I could get my first Nationwide Series win there this weekend."

If this week's three practice sessions in preparation for Saturday's inaugural U.S. Cellular 250 at the Rusty Wallace-designed Iowa Speedway are any indication, Steve Wallace just might be closer than he thinks to making that wish a reality.

In the last five Nationwide Series races on tracks less than a mile, only one driver--Carl Edwards--has scored more points than Wallace.  The No. 66 wheelman has continued to show his short track prowess this weekend, as one of only three drivers to rank among the top-ten in all three practice sessions for Saturday's event.  He also placed among the top-five in two of those sessions. 

Wallace, the 2006 ARCA winner at Iowa, set the third-fastest speed in Friday afternoon's final practice, with a lap of 23.474 seconds (134.191 MPH).  His effort placed him a mere 0.071 seconds behind the session's fastest lap of 23.403 seconds, posted by RCR's No. 29 car.

Said Wallace, "I'm really happy with our No. 66 car right now.  We unloaded on Thursday and to be honest, we weren't very good; we were really, really loose.  After our first couple of runs on Thursday, we made the call to change pretty much our entire setup and it really paid off. 

"I don't know if we have the fastest car right at the beginning of a run, but our Chevrolet really comes to life as we get later on into a long run, just like it did last week at ORP.  Our team is definitely starting to build a little bit of momentum now and nothing would be cooler than to ride that momentum to my first Nationwide win on Saturday at Iowa Speedway."

While Steve Wallace may look to be among the contenders for victory on Saturday, his RWR teammate, Brendan Gaughan has certainly shown the capability to run up front as well.  The Las Vegas native ranked 11th fastest in Friday's final practice session, with a lap of 23.723 seconds (132.783 MPH).

Noted Gaughan, "While the time sheets might not show it, we have a really good Chevrolet Impala SS race car here this weekend.  Bryan Berry (crew chief) and my guys have done a really good job dialing this thing in over the last two days and I really think that we're going to have a great race on Saturday.  Nothing would be cooler than to win in front of a standing room-only crowd at Rusty's track and that's exactly what we're trying our best to accomplish."

The next on-track activity for Rusty Wallace Racing is Saturday's two-lap qualifying session, set for 12:05 PM CT.  The session will feature television coverage by ESPN2, starting at 1:00 PM ET.  Steve Wallace and Brendan Gaughan are scheduled to be the third and 30th drivers, respectively, to make qualifying attempts in the session.

The U.S. Cellular 250 is set for a 3:30 PM CT start on Saturday, in front of a standing room-only crowd at the glistening, Rusty Wallace-designed Iowa Speedway.  The race will mark the inaugural Nationwide Series event at the track and will be televised live on ESPN, beginning at 4:00 PM ET.  Rusty Wallace will serve as lead analyst for the race telecast.

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About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC

U.S.-based Rusty Wallace Racing is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary history of its founder and one of NASCAR’s top-ten drivers of all-time, Rusty Wallace.  In 2008, the team’s No. 64 entry was ranked among the top-ten overall in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.  For 2009, the organization campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Chevrolet Impala SS vehicles in the Nationwide Series.  Its No. 66 entry is piloted by third-generation wheelman, Steve Wallace and its No. 62 wheeled by former NASCAR Truck Series Rookie of the Year, Brendan Gaughan.  Both drivers are currently ranked among the top-ten in the 2009 standings.  For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit rustywallace.com.