For the first time since the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona, Rusty Wallace was turning laps in a race car at Daytona International Speedway.
Wallace visited Daytona International Speedway to assist his son Steve during the final day of ARCA 200 testing.
Steve Wallace will compete for Rusty Wallace Inc. in a full NASCAR Busch Series schedule in 2007 and will also race in the Feb. 10 ARCA 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series season opener.
“He hasn’t been to Daytona,” the 1989 NASCAR champion said of his son Steve. “He has been flying everywhere else we’ve taken him but I just want to make sure when he comes down here he has a good handling car.
“I got in the car. It ran real good, the motor ran good but it drove a little too free for me. I told Steve, ‘In order to race this thing, you’re going to have to tighten this thing up. You only have a couple hours of practice, go out there and make these changes I suggest and tell me what it does.’
“To him, if feels pretty good but to me it needs to be a little bit tighter to be stable in a long run. That’s just the fatherly advice I’m giving him.”
Wallace, who has retired as a driver to serve as an analyst for ESPN’s racing coverage, hopes his advice can be helpful.
“I know what works here and what doesn’t work here,” Wallace said. “When I got in the car, it came right back to me. It was like I just got out of it yesterday. It didn’t feel any different. They made changes and now he’s going back out. We’ll see what he says.”
Fastest of the three day test: Toyota’s first stock car test at Daytona International Speedway proved successful.
Josh Wise and the No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota Camry were the fastest of the entire three-day test with a lap of 181.925 mph turned out in Saturday’s session.
The ARCA 200 test session marked the first time that a Toyota stock car has turned laps at DIS. For Speedweeks 2007, Toyota will kick off their first year competing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
The No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing team, which will compete in the Feb. 10 ARCA 200 with Wise, has an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing, which will field three Toyotas in the NEXTEL Cup Series in 2007.
“They got to try a lot of things,” said Wise, a USAC national champion. “We got to shake down the Toyota engine and car. It was successful. We got to weed out a lot of things and it was good for me to come here and get some laps.”
Green, Hendrick fastest on Sunday: David Green, the 1994 NASCAR Busch Series champion and two-time Busch Series runner-up, and Hendrick Motorsports posted the fastest speed on Sunday with a lap of 181.796 mph in the No. 87 Chevrolet.
Green, who hopes to have his plans for 2007 finalized soon, does research and development work for Hendrick Motorsports, winner of the past two Daytona 500s with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.
The purpose of the test was to create a baseline on an ARCA car for a soon-to-be-announced development driver. Green didn’t know who the driver was going to be and said the car would most likely race in an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway.
“We’re trying to establish a starting point for this kid when they go forward with that program,” Green said. “It is fun to come test with these guys being at the moment unemployed. We’re working on some stuff for next year. Hopefully we will have some answers this week on our future for ’07 in the Busch Series.
“Rick (Hendrick) is letting me do a lot of testing for all of his teams and the Car of Tomorrow has been a lot of fun to test. We’ve got a few more on the schedule. Kyle (Busch) is off in Hawaii. Maybe that’s why he took his vacation this time but that’s OK because I had a ball. It’s always fun to hang out with Alan (Gustafson) and the 5 team.”
Kimmel family outing: Eight-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel and brother/crew chief Bill tested on Sunday at DIS with their sons – Frankie and Will.
Both sons are aspiring racers. Frankie, Frank Kimmel’s son, is planning on running street stocks full time in 2007 while Will, Bill Kimmel’s son, competes in late models at Salem (Ind.) Speedway.
“Bill and I both have sons that are racing and are doing good in their respective classes,” Frank Kimmel said. “We had to be down here for the PRI Show (in Orlando) so we knew we were going to be free on Sunday and brought the car over. I shook it down and made sure everything was running good on it and then we let the boys go out. It was a great opportunity to go racing.
“It knocks the edge off if they get fortunate enough to come here and race. They can say they’ve been here. In a controlled situation, it was a good safe deal for them.”
“It was pretty fun,” said Frankie Kimmel, eighth fastest in the morning session. “It felt like my mini-Cup car. It didn’t feel like you were going too fast until you looked at the fence and you have the fence flying by and then you realize you are running 180 mph out there.”
Said Will Kimmel: “I can’t believe how narrow the place is. I had a great time and I’m glad my uncle and dad let me do this. This is a fun place. The speed sensation is awesome.”
Frank Kimmel will be back at DIS in February chasing that elusive first ARCA 200 win at “The World Center of Racing.” He is planning on using the same car that he won with at Talladega Superspeedway in the fall.
“We think we can come here and be strong,” Kimmel said. “It’s just a matter of luck and being at the right place at the right time.”
Sunday’s Top 10 ARCA speeds
1. David Green, Chevy, 181.796 mph
2. Steve Wallace, Dodge, 181.539 "
3. Bobby Gerhart, Chevy, 181.448 "
4. Brian Smith, Chevy, 181.408 "
5. Greg Barnhardt, Ford, 181.360 "
6. Michael McDowell, Dodge, 181.313 "
7. Frank Kimmel, Ford, 181.309 "
8. Brad Coleman, Chevy, 181.218 "
9. Josh Wise, Toyota, 181.163 "
10. Damon Lusk, Dodge, 180.843 "
Wallace visited Daytona International Speedway to assist his son Steve during the final day of ARCA 200 testing.
Steve Wallace will compete for Rusty Wallace Inc. in a full NASCAR Busch Series schedule in 2007 and will also race in the Feb. 10 ARCA 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series season opener.
“He hasn’t been to Daytona,” the 1989 NASCAR champion said of his son Steve. “He has been flying everywhere else we’ve taken him but I just want to make sure when he comes down here he has a good handling car.
“I got in the car. It ran real good, the motor ran good but it drove a little too free for me. I told Steve, ‘In order to race this thing, you’re going to have to tighten this thing up. You only have a couple hours of practice, go out there and make these changes I suggest and tell me what it does.’
“To him, if feels pretty good but to me it needs to be a little bit tighter to be stable in a long run. That’s just the fatherly advice I’m giving him.”
Wallace, who has retired as a driver to serve as an analyst for ESPN’s racing coverage, hopes his advice can be helpful.
“I know what works here and what doesn’t work here,” Wallace said. “When I got in the car, it came right back to me. It was like I just got out of it yesterday. It didn’t feel any different. They made changes and now he’s going back out. We’ll see what he says.”
Fastest of the three day test: Toyota’s first stock car test at Daytona International Speedway proved successful.
Josh Wise and the No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota Camry were the fastest of the entire three-day test with a lap of 181.925 mph turned out in Saturday’s session.
The ARCA 200 test session marked the first time that a Toyota stock car has turned laps at DIS. For Speedweeks 2007, Toyota will kick off their first year competing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
The No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing team, which will compete in the Feb. 10 ARCA 200 with Wise, has an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing, which will field three Toyotas in the NEXTEL Cup Series in 2007.
“They got to try a lot of things,” said Wise, a USAC national champion. “We got to shake down the Toyota engine and car. It was successful. We got to weed out a lot of things and it was good for me to come here and get some laps.”
Green, Hendrick fastest on Sunday: David Green, the 1994 NASCAR Busch Series champion and two-time Busch Series runner-up, and Hendrick Motorsports posted the fastest speed on Sunday with a lap of 181.796 mph in the No. 87 Chevrolet.
Green, who hopes to have his plans for 2007 finalized soon, does research and development work for Hendrick Motorsports, winner of the past two Daytona 500s with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.
The purpose of the test was to create a baseline on an ARCA car for a soon-to-be-announced development driver. Green didn’t know who the driver was going to be and said the car would most likely race in an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway.
“We’re trying to establish a starting point for this kid when they go forward with that program,” Green said. “It is fun to come test with these guys being at the moment unemployed. We’re working on some stuff for next year. Hopefully we will have some answers this week on our future for ’07 in the Busch Series.
“Rick (Hendrick) is letting me do a lot of testing for all of his teams and the Car of Tomorrow has been a lot of fun to test. We’ve got a few more on the schedule. Kyle (Busch) is off in Hawaii. Maybe that’s why he took his vacation this time but that’s OK because I had a ball. It’s always fun to hang out with Alan (Gustafson) and the 5 team.”
Kimmel family outing: Eight-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel and brother/crew chief Bill tested on Sunday at DIS with their sons – Frankie and Will.
Both sons are aspiring racers. Frankie, Frank Kimmel’s son, is planning on running street stocks full time in 2007 while Will, Bill Kimmel’s son, competes in late models at Salem (Ind.) Speedway.
“Bill and I both have sons that are racing and are doing good in their respective classes,” Frank Kimmel said. “We had to be down here for the PRI Show (in Orlando) so we knew we were going to be free on Sunday and brought the car over. I shook it down and made sure everything was running good on it and then we let the boys go out. It was a great opportunity to go racing.
“It knocks the edge off if they get fortunate enough to come here and race. They can say they’ve been here. In a controlled situation, it was a good safe deal for them.”
“It was pretty fun,” said Frankie Kimmel, eighth fastest in the morning session. “It felt like my mini-Cup car. It didn’t feel like you were going too fast until you looked at the fence and you have the fence flying by and then you realize you are running 180 mph out there.”
Said Will Kimmel: “I can’t believe how narrow the place is. I had a great time and I’m glad my uncle and dad let me do this. This is a fun place. The speed sensation is awesome.”
Frank Kimmel will be back at DIS in February chasing that elusive first ARCA 200 win at “The World Center of Racing.” He is planning on using the same car that he won with at Talladega Superspeedway in the fall.
“We think we can come here and be strong,” Kimmel said. “It’s just a matter of luck and being at the right place at the right time.”
Sunday’s Top 10 ARCA speeds
1. David Green, Chevy, 181.796 mph
2. Steve Wallace, Dodge, 181.539 "
3. Bobby Gerhart, Chevy, 181.448 "
4. Brian Smith, Chevy, 181.408 "
5. Greg Barnhardt, Ford, 181.360 "
6. Michael McDowell, Dodge, 181.313 "
7. Frank Kimmel, Ford, 181.309 "
8. Brad Coleman, Chevy, 181.218 "
9. Josh Wise, Toyota, 181.163 "
10. Damon Lusk, Dodge, 180.843 "