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NASCAR Trucks: Mike Wallace Went to Nazareth with Higher Hopes

22 July 1999

Mooresville, NC.  June 22, 1999.    Mike Wallace and the #2 Team ASE
Ford/Ultra Motorsports NASCAR Craftsman Truck went to Nazareth in search
of their third win of the 1999 season.  From the moment they unloaded
the race truck, things looked like they were stacked in favor of
Wallace.  After all three of his crewmembers, crew chief Tim Kohuth and
crew members Matt Puccia, Kevin Collins, are from the Allentown, PA
area.  Kothuth and Collins have logged many miles riding around this
track as drivers themselves, and all felt they had a distinctive,
"hometown" advantage entering this race.   

The knowledge Kohuth brought to this race showed quickly and the #2
practiced among the top five trucks prior to qualifying.   Wallace
endured a shaky 13th place qualifying effort, and once the race started
he began to maneuver his truck up through the field.  By lap 42 of the
200-lap race, Wallace had the #2 Team ASE Ford running solidly in 7th.
Wallace picked up a spot during the next caution on lap 51 to grab 6th,
and then passed Terry Cook for 5th on lap 74.   

Green flag pit stops on lap 86 set the Team ASE Ford back to 14th, but
Wallace quickly moved the truck up into the top ten by lap 101.  By lap
124, Wallace was back in the 5th position, lap 136, in 4th.  Fifty laps
later Wallace passed Jack Sprague for 3rd, where he remained until late
in the race.  With two laps to go, Wallace was hit from behind and spun
out, causing a flat tire.  He finished the race on the rim, ending up
13th.

Instead of his third victory on Sunday, Wallace had just experienced his
third "punt" of the year.  And race fans, we are not talking football.
He must have felt his Sunday afternoon was similar to a roller coaster
ride at the local Dorney Amusement Park.   "The 24 ran into us with two
to go," said Wallace.  "He is a better driver than that, but it is not
the first time this year this has happened.  The 24 also hit us in
Memphis, and the 3 got us in Bristol with less than a half a lap to go."

All three times Wallace has been bumped, it has cost his Team ASE/Ultra
Motorsports team very valuable points.  Twice meaning the difference
between two positions in the standings, and once costing Wallace one
spot.   Add them up, that is five positions in the points - quite
possibly the difference between his current 8th place to 3rd . . . 

After the race, NASCAR ruled that Sprague should be penalized for his
actions at Nazareth.  Wallace was moved up to the 12th place finishing
spot, and Sprague back to 13th from his original 4th place finish.  

Added Wallace, "We had a good enough truck for third today - I'm
frustrated because I haven't taken anyone out this year.  I don't race
that way.  So why it has happened to us three times is sort of a
mystery.  It is really uncalled for, I just don't understand it."

Wallace heads to Michigan for next Saturday's race - the 16th race of 26
on this year's schedule.

Coming on board with Ultra Motorsports in 1999 are Smith Transport,
Biagi Bros., Ken Thompson, Inc., and Overland Motorcoach. All four
companies are long-time supporters of Mike Wallace Racing.  Ken Thompson
Racing and Biagi Bros. are also backing the 1999 Ultra Motorsports/Mike
Wallace Winston West efforts. 

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