Team: Biagi Brother Racing (Busch team)
Car/sponsor/make: No. 4 Geico Chevrolet
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| | Wallace |
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STATS
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Year
|
Rank
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Wins
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Top 5
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Top 10
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Best finish
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2002
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41
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0
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0
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1
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10th, Bristol
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Career
|
|
0
|
2
|
9
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2nd, once
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2002 recap
The good: When you're dealt lemons, you make lemonade. That's what Wallace did in 2002. Because of sponsorship issues, he started just four events for team owner Andy Petree in the first 18 races, eventually being released when money ran out. Wallace caught an almost immediately with A.J. Foyt's No. 14 Pontiac at race No. 20 in Pocono, Pa., and managed to start 16 of the season's last 17 races. Given the fact he started just 21 races, finishing 41st was quite an accomplishment.
Season highlight: Two races stand out for Wallace in 2002. First was the Sharpie 500 at Bristol, Tenn., where he started 33rd but finished a season-high 10th. The other was the season-ending event at Homestead, Fla., where he started 20th and finished 11th.
The bad: Besides the sponsorship issues, it's a shame Wallace wasn't able to remain with Foyt's team for 2003 (he's been replaced by Foyt's son, Larry, a rookie). Wallace was slowly starting to gel as a driver in the No. 14 car, with five top-20s in his last 11 starts.
Season lowlight: Without question, the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis was the season's low point for Wallace, as he started last and finished last, completing just 10 of the 160 laps before being knocked out by a crash. Besides Indy, Rockingham, N.C., was also quite unkind to Wallace, as he finished 38th there in February and dead last in November.
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| Mike Wallace will compete in the Busch Series in 2002. |
Key stat: Wallace failed to finish exactly one-third (seven) of his 21 starts, three times each due to engine trouble and crashes, and one other time due to handling issues.
2003 outlook
What needs to be done: When Foyt chose to replace Wallace, there was little left for the veteran to choose from in the way of vacancies on the Winston Cup circuit. As a result, he'll be competing on the Busch circuit in 2003 in the Biagi Brothers-owned No. 4 Chevrolet. Geico has signed on to sponsor at least 10 of the 33 races, and the team continues to seek further funding. Also, because of his availability, Wallace will likely become one of the first choices to fill any vacancies that occur during the course of the Winston Cup season. He also may have some occasional starts in the Trucks series.
Prediction: Wallace historically has enjoyed more success on NASCAR's lower-tier levels, particularly Busch and Trucks. The best example of that is his victory total: while he remains winless in Winston Cup, he has three Busch and four Truck victories in his career. Depending upon how much sponsorship Wallace's team can pull together, he has the potential not only to return to Victory Lane in the Busch Series, but could finish in the top-15 or higher if he gets the chance to race in as many events as possible.
Your take
Here are your thoughts on Wallace's outlook for 2003. Will he succeed in the Busch Series? Will we see him again soon in a Winston Cup ride?
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