03/08/2015
Wallace Leads Roush Fenway With 7th-Place Run In Vegas
Wallace Cracks the Top-10 in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (March 8, 2015) – Bubba Wallace earned his first top-10 finish of the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) on Saturday. Wallace and his Roush Fenway Racing team adjusted on his No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Mustang throughout the race and overcame a one lap deficit, ultimately earning a seventh-place finish, his best of the season.
“We are gaining,” said Wallace. “I think that has been our motto all weekend long really. We are learning as a team and our Ford EcoBoost Mustang was right there as a top-10 car all day and it paid off for us. We got some breaks there with the lucky dog and have some momentum heading into Phoenix. I am excited to see where things are going for us.”
After advancing through all three rounds of qualifying on Saturday morning, Wallace lined up 12th to start the 200-Lap, 300-Mile race at LVMS. Within three laps of the green flag dropping, Wallace had moved up to sixth, informing the team that his Mustang was too tight.
When crew chief Chad Norris called Wallace down pit road for the first time of the day under caution on Lap 48, the team took four tires and fuel, along with spring rubber and air pressure adjustments.
Wallace lined up 10th for the restart on Lap 51, and by the next caution on Lap 53 he had worked his way up to seventh. The rookie of the year contender continued to run in the top-10, still battling a Mustang that was too loose on entry and tight on exit.
Norris called his young driver back down pit road on Lap 106 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment to help the handling of his Mustang. On the ensuing green flag run, Wallace informed the team that his car handled much better in clean air after the adjustments.
By Lap 140, Wallace had moved his racing line to the high side of the track, telling his team he had found something up top. While running in seventh, Wallace radioed in that his Mustang was well balanced from front to back.
An untimely caution flew shortly after Wallace made a scheduled green flag pit stop on Lap 158, trapping the team one lap down to the leaders. Wallace battled hard inside the car in the closing laps to put himself in position for the free pass and close out the day with a seventh-place result.
With the finish, Wallace remains fourth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series point standings as the series heads to Phoenix International Raceway.
NEXT UP:
Axalta Faster Tougher Brighter 200
One-mile Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Ariz.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
4:00 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN
