WALLACE, WILBURN & MILLER LITE TEAM PENSKE EXPECT TEXAS TO BE FAST & FURIOUS

JUSTIN, Texas (April 3, 2002) ? According to Miller Lite Team Penske driver Rusty Wallace and crew chief Bill Wilburn, the intensity level along the NASCAR Winston Cup tour should be at a season high this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

"Fast, fast, fast," was Wallace's response when asked about what the new TMS track surface has in store this weekend. "We were running 202 (mph) into turn one during our test there last week (March 26-27), so it'll be lightning fast, that's for sure. We'll really be cranking it up in qualifying and in the race. Getting a good starting spot and pit spot will be critical and using the right pit strategy in the race will be super important. I know we've heard all of that many times before, but it's that the whole deal will be just that intense this weekend."

Wallace enters Sunday's Samsung/Radio Shack 500, the seventh race of the season, ranked third in points, even without posting a top-five finish or leading a single lap thus far. He trails points leader Sterling Marlin by 116 points. He has recorded four top-10 finishes and completed 99.9 percent of possible laps. An 18th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 has been his worst finish to date. He has a 25.6 average start, but holds a 9.8 average finish entering Texas.

Wilburn maintains a rational outlook of the season to date.
"We're in the mode of taking it one race at a time," said Wilburn.
"People have been asking, 'what's wrong?' and I have to ask them what they mean by that. The fact is that Rusty and our team went into Texas last year sixth in the points and hadn't led a single lap. I think that because we've been so consistent and sort of sneaked on up there to third in the points, that's got people looking more at the numbers.

"We're racing Winston Cup and consistency is the most important thing when all is said and done," Wilburn continued. "It may not be the headlines and it may not be that exciting to watch, but give me a sixth to ninth-place finish week in and week out and we'd have a championship team."

There are figures to back up Wilburn's statements. After six races had been completed last season, Wallace was sixth in points with 752, trailing then-leader Dale Jarrett by 119 points. He had yet to lead a single lap. He had no wins or poles, but had one top-five finish and four top-10 finishes. He had a 12.8 average start, but a 13.7 average finish. Even during the 2000 season in which Wallace won four races and nine poles, he was again sixth in points entering Texas, trailing then-leader Bobby Labonte by 176 points. His statistics at that point boasted one win, two top-five finishes, two top-10 finishes and one pole.

"Here's the way that I look at it," Wilburn said. "I think we've
improved overall every week this season compared to last. The
qualifying is so tight that three tenths (of a second) is the difference from the pole to a provisional at these mile-and-a-half tracks. We're working on qualifying better. We're racing really well and we're running consistently in the top 10. The next step is getting back up there in the top five. When we get that level of consistency up and running, we'll be leading the laps and we'll win races.

"So if the problem so far this year is limited to not leading laps or not having a top-five finish, we don't have any problems, " Wilburn concluded. "When you have four top-10s, you're third in the points and you're convinced that everything is headed in the right direction, you're in pretty darned good shape if you ask me. There are 99 percent of the teams out there that would love to be in that spot and that's where we are right now."

Wallace's career record at TMS boasts two top-five finishes (4th in 1999 & 2000) in the five races. He started 38th and finished 12th in last year's race. He has a 16.6 average start and 13.8 average finish at the track.

Friday's 3:05 p.m. CST single round of qualifying will allocate all the starting spots for Sunday's 334-lap, 500-mile race. The Samsung/Radio Shack 500 has a 1:00 p.m. CDT starting time on Sunday and features livecoverage by Fox-TV and PRN Radio.