WALLACE POSTS TOP 10 FINISH IN INDIANAPOLIS BY RUNNING ON SAME SET OF TIRES FOR LAST 88 LAPS

Kenny Wallace and his Stacker 2/Northeastern Supply Company race team have made a lot of strategic moves during races this NASCAR Busch Series season, many of which have failed. That changed on Saturday night during the running of the Kroger 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park that enabled Wallace to post a top 10 finish and move another couple of steps closer to the top 10 in the driver’s point standings.

Having started 22^nd in the 43-car starting field, Wallace was running in the 15^th position on lap 109 when a multi-car accident in turn four brought out the fourth of the event’s seven caution flags. Wallace pitted his Chevrolet along with all of the other lead lap cars for fresh tires and fuel, but crew chief Chris Rice elected not to pit again after that in a battle for track position and the strategy paid off.

Kenny was able to move to as high as third in the running order during the late stages and was able to hold most of those cars that had pitted later for fresher tires to finish ninth. Wallace’s car was one of just 18 to complete all 200 laps.

“Track position is always critical here at IRP, and tonight was no different”, Wallace said. “We would have finished about where we were running most of the night had we not gambled, and it ended up paying off for us.”

With his finish and some problems encountered by some of those drivers near the 13^th position in the Championship Driver’s Point Standings where Wallace stood entering Saturday’s race, Kenny was able to jump two full spots to 11^th and is just 26 out of that coveted top 10 ranking with 12 races remaining.

Wallace will hope to continue his drive towards the top ten in two weeks when the Busch Series gets back to action after a week off with the running of the Cabela’s 250 at Michigan International Speedway on August 21. That race takes the green flag at 1 p.m. EDT and will be televised live by the TNT Cable Network.

Rookie Kyle Busch earned his fourth victory of the 2004 season in Saturday’s race in Indianapolis, holding off a fast-closing Johnny Sauter to cut his deficit to point leader Martin Truex, Jr. to 117. Jason Leffler, Truex and Greg Biffle rounded out the top five finishers.