WALLACE HOPING TO CONTINUE 2004 SHORT-TRACK STRENGTH IN SATURDAY’S CHEVY AMERICAN REVOLUTION 400 AT RICHMOND
-Miller Lite Dodge Driver Has A Win & Runner-Up Finish; “The Predator” Back In Action-

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (May 11, 2004) - Miller Lite Dodge driver Rusty Wallace is off to his best start on the short tracks along the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup tour in seven years and he looks to continue his bullring prowess in Saturday’s Chevy American Revolution 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

His record after the first two short-track races of the 2004 season boasts a win and a runner-up finish. The last time Wallace showed that level of strength was during the 1997 season, when he won in March at Richmond and finished second at Bristol that April. Prior to 1997, you have to go all the way back to Wallace’s 10-win 1993 season to match that competitive level.

“We have got our act together on the short tracks, that’s for sure,” said Wallace, whose win in the April 18 race at Martinsville, Va., was his 25th on race tracks less than a mile in length and 55th overall. “With what we’ve faced during the last few weeks - with the crashes in both races taking their toll - I can’t think of a better track for us to be going to right now.

“The new surface is as smooth as silk and fast as lightning,” Wallace said of his first-hand knowledge of the track’s recent repaving job. “We had the Martinsville-winning car testing there last week (May 5) and were super impressed with the job they did on the track and all the other improvements they’ve made. It’s really a nice job that they did. All the transitions in the turns and the banking remained the same so it’ll be the usual great racing everyone expects to see at Richmond. I don’t anticipate any changes at all there. We’ll be absolutely flying around the bottom of the place and I think the second groove will come right back in as soon as we get some laps on the new surface.

“The last two races have been really tough on us, but we have a solid team around us now and we can weather the storm and get right back up there in the points,” said Wallace, whose involvement in crashes at Talladega and California have dropped him from eighth in the point standings to 14th entering this weekend’s Richmond action. “We know that we have a car capable of getting the job done because this car (PRS-70) won at Martinsville and we named it “The Predator” after that big win. Taking a proven winner back to the track is certainly a confidence and morale booster.”

When asked about the notable increase in aggressive driving this season, Wallace is quick to make his point.

“If you mess with this dog, he’s gonna bite you back,” Wallace said with a chuckle. “But if you look back at us getting knocked around in the early going in both the Bristol and Martinsville races - it shows that you can’t focus on retaliation and get overly aggressive. On the short tracks, you have to save your stuff and have what you need at the end. At the end of the day, there were a bunch of guys who had beaten and banged all race long - abused their stuff - and I didn’t see any of them up there with us fighting for the win. With a second at Bristol and the win at Martinsville, I’d say we have a pretty good handle on knowing what it takes to get the job done on the short tracks this year. We’re looking to keep turning up the wick at Richmond.”

Wallace enters Richmond as the track’s career statistical leader. The record book shows that in 40 races, he has six wins and three poles, along with 21 top-five finishes, 28 top-10 finishes and $1,642,644 in career money won. His most recent Richmond win came in the spring race of 1997, while his most recent pole came in the spring race of 2000.

He has led 3,023 laps at Richmond International Raceway, more than any other active driver. Wallace has a 7.612 average finish in 31 races at Richmond on the current .750-mile layout, the best of all drivers. He has an 8.95 average finish in 40 races overall at Richmond, also the best among all active drivers.

Wallace started 17th and finished 10th in last May’s Richmond race. He started 17th again there last fall, but pulled out a fifth-place finish. “We bounced back from an early run-in there in the spring race and the car there last fall was getting stronger and stronger at the end,” Wallace recalled of last year’s races at RIR. “We think we could have won it if we’d had about 50 more laps of racing. We just hope to qualify better there this year and not have to make up so much ground in getting up to the front.”

Friday’s 3:10 p.m. single round of qualifying will set the field for Saturday’s race. The final “Happy Hour” practice session is scheduled for Friday from 6:00 p.m. until 7:15 p.m. Saturday’s $4,897,954 Chevy American Revolution 400 begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT and the 400-lap, 300-mile battle features live coverage by FX-TV and MRN Radio beginning 30 minutes earlier.

Daytona 500-
Daytona Beach, FL

Food City 500
Bristol, TN

Samsung/Radio Shack 500
Justin, TX

Advance Auto Parts 500
Martinsville, VA

Aaron’S 499
Talladega, Ala.

Auto Club 500
Fontana, Calif.