NASCAR Trucks: Engine failure prevents Mike Wallace's 11th top five finish of season
28 September 1999
Mooresville, NC. September 28, 1999. For the eight trucks who finished on the lead lap, "The Orleans 250" was 167 laps of tough racing around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For Mike Wallace and the #2 Team ASE Ford it was 117 laps around the track, and then the night abruptly ended with a smoke-filled cab and blown motor. Wallace was forced to park his truck and watch the last 50 laps from pit road - a reality check for a team and driver that ran 110 of those 117 laps in the top ten. Even tougher to accept when a closer look shows that Wallace ran fifth or better for 63 of those laps. Wallace, who qualified the #2 Team ASE Ford in the 13th spot, had raced his way up to 6th in just 51 laps. Two cautions within the next eight laps allowed the Team ASE Ford to pick up three more positions via quick pit stops. On lap 64, Wallace took the green flag restart in 3rd place and quickly passed Greg Biffle on lap 65 for the 2nd spot. Over the next few laps, Wallace, Biffle, and Jack Sprague battled back and forth for that second position - and the right to challenge for the lead spot held by Ron Hornaday. On lap 75, running in 3rd place, Wallace began smelling smoke and informed crew chief Tim Kohuth that the oil temperature was climbing. Six laps later it became clear that the motor was beginning to "lay down". Remarkably, Wallace was able to maintain his position in the top five for the next 42 laps. On lap 117 the team decided to pit under the green, change four tires and go back out to see how many more laps they could endure. The NASCAR official monitoring the #2 Team ASE pit decided the smoking truck should be inspected, and ordered Wallace to stay in the pits while NASCAR checked under the hood. "That was all she wrote," said Kohuth. "Our competitive side said go back out and race - but once we looked under the hood and saw oil leaking and pushing out the breather, it was time to park it." In his post-race interview, Wallace told media reporters "I have no idea what the problem was. Something internally in the motor broke. The truck was still running but it was pumping all the oil out of the oil tank and up through the motor. It's really disappointing because we were running pretty strong. I think that we might of had something for the leaders, but of course we don't now. That's the way it goes." Indeed Wallace was a strong contender, one look at the lap-by-lap status of the #2 Team ASE Ford from laps 1 to 117 confirms this point. Biffle won The Orleans 250, his 9th win for the season. Exuding champion-like form, Wallace and the team will accept this week's 28th place finish as one of the few fluke incidents they have experienced this season, and look to the Louisville race October 8th. Wallace remains in the 5th position in 1999 NCTS points, with three races remaining. In the manufacturer's race, Ford has won a record 12 NCTS races in 1999. Biffle (85 points) and Mike Wallace (30) lead in points have contributed to Ford's win in the 1999 NCTS manufacturer's race. Other Ford drivers who have earned points for Ford this season include Kevin Harvick (12), Kevin Cywinski (12), Mike Bliss (9), Ron Barfield (6), and Rick Crawford (4). Manufacturer's points are awarded on a 9-6-4 scale to the various makes of trucks (Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge) based on their finishing position related to each other. A manufacturer only is eligible for points in the highest-finishing position, no matter what the overall finish. Chevrolet had won the title in the first four years of the series' existence. ASE has been a major sponsor in the truck series since 1996, along with associate sponsors Ultra Wheels, Wagner Brake Products, Snap-on Tools, and Valvoline. ASE, The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, is a non-profit organization founded in 1972 with the mission of improving the quality of automotive repair service through the voluntary testing and certification of technicians. There are over 420,000 ASE-certified technicians working in all types of service repair facilities in North America. 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.