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  • Michael Annett Is Flying High Yet Under the Radar

    Michael Annett Is Flying High Yet Under the Radar

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Phil Cavali” align=”alignright” width=”172″][/media-credit]At Texas Motor Speedway, Michael Annett scored his second top-10 and fifth top-15 finish in just six races with his new team, Richard Petty Motorsports. And with that good run, he officially moved up two spots to fifth in the Nationwide Series point standings.

    Yet, as high as the young driver of the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang is flying early in the season, he still is very much under the radar in a series dominated by the likes of veteran Elliott Sadler, reigning champ Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., up and comer Austin Dillon, and Danica Patrick.

    “To me, that’s how I’ve lived my whole life,” Annett said. “Even when I played hockey growing up, I never did anything outlandish.”

    “I was just the guy that got the job done,” Annett continued. “That’s pretty much my M.O. and how it’s been for me in my racing career.”

    Although flying under the radar so far this season, the new Richard Petty Motorsports driver has had some impressive initial success, especially with his recent run at Texas. Annett finished ninth, rebounding from running into a lapped car and taking advantage of the lights going out at the speedway.

    “We probably could have won the race if I hadn’t run into a lapped car,” Annett said. “But I loved it when the lights went out because we were overheating and getting ready to pit.”

    “So, I liked that the lights brought out the caution,” Annett continued. “The whole night was about overcoming adversity, so to come out ninth and to see the guys faces with a top ten finish, it was cool.”

    Annett also contributes his early success at Richard Petty Motorsports with the team’s affiliation with Roush Fenway Racing, particularly in light of their driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. winning last year’s Nationwide championship.

    “I think the success started with what Roush Fenway built last year with the championship and the relationship we have with them,” Annett said. “That partnership is huge.”

    “At Texas, we unloaded and we were close but we were still missing a little bit,” Annett continued. “To be able to go and talk to the No. 6 team and use some things they found, it’s just a huge advantage to us.”

    In spite of early success at Richard Petty Motorsports, the reality for Annett was that he had to make a difficult  transition rather abruptly when his former team, Rusty Wallace Racing, shut down at the end of last year due to lack of sponsorship.

    “It was definitely tough, very unfortunate and a testament to the economic times,” Annett said of the demise of his former team. “They couldn’t find a sponsor for Steven (Wallace) with 5-Hour Energy leaving.”

    “Rusty said he didn’t want to do it out of his pocket,” Annett continued. “So, the month before Daytona, they announced they were shutting down and we had to go find a place to race.”

    Fortunately for Annett his long-time sponsor, Pilot Flying J, stuck with him and gave him the opportunity to seek out another team. He was especially pleased when Richard Petty Motorsports ended up being one of the teams interested in him.

    “I’m definitely blessed to have Pilot as a partner that I’ve had since I’ve started racing,” Annett said. “That enabled me to go to other teams and when I went to Richard Petty Motorsports, it just felt right.”

    “It felt like a family, listening to Richard (Petty),” Annett continued. “He and I saw eye to eye on everything and it felt right.”

    Annett said it hit him how fortunate he was to be with Richard Petty Motorsports when he and the team went out for their first race together at Daytona in the Drive4COPD 300.

    “It’s funny,” Annett said. “It didn’t hit home to me until Daytona when Richard (Petty) was standing on one side and Dale Inman on the other side, both giving me pointers before I got into the car.”

    “And all I could think was ‘this is crazy,’ Annett said. “I’ve ridden on the plane with Richard and talked to him and the best way to put it is that I’m blessed. It’s pretty cool.”

    The other ‘cool’ discovery for this low-key driver was his new crew chief at Richard Petty Motorsports, Philippe Lopez.

    “I had no idea about Philippe Lopez before this season started,” Annett said. “His name got brought up and I didn’t know a thing about him.”

    “When I asked around, there is always somebody who doesn’t like somebody, but not one person had anything bad to say about Philippe,” Annett continued. “That’s pretty cool.”

    “From Daytona to now, there hasn’t been one mechanical problem and his confidence on the radio is huge,” Annett said. “It’s been a really good relationship.”

    After his strong run at Texas with his new crew chief and team, Annett will have another off-weekend before heading to Richmond International Raceway next weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide Series 250.

    “Richmond is one of those tracks that I’ve struggled at,” Annett said. “But each time, we go back, I get better.”

    “I think I finished 11th or 12th last time so if I crack the top-10, I know that we’ll have had a good race,” Annett continued. “At Richmond, if you get the right car, you can come out of there with a top-5 or a win.”

    Yet even with his impressive start to the season and in spite of having total upheaval in his team, the young driver is not one often mentioned in the Nationwide Series discourse.

    “I don’t mind it, but I worry more about the guys on the team because I want them to get the credit they deserve,” Annett said. “I was hoping that at Daytona when Dale Jarrett started talking about me that would be the start of things.”

    “But I’ve fallen back into my old ways of just getting my job done, under the radar,” Annett continued. “But where we finish and the results will show themselves.”

    “And if they want to talk about us, they will,” Annett said. “My guys still know I’m driving my butt off for them and they’re doing the same back to me.”

  • Chrissy Wallace Comes Into Her Own With Two Championships

    Chrissy Wallace Comes Into Her Own With Two Championships

    Although Chrissy Wallace may be from a famous racing family, including Uncle Rusty, Uncle Kenny, cousin Steven and dad Mike, she is definitely  coming into her own, especially with two championships now under her belt.

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Julian LeBallister” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The 23 year old racer scored the I-44 Speedway Track Champion title, as well as the championship of the ASA West Regional Series. In the latter, Wallace made history as the first female champion ever.

    “It’s a huge honor,” Wallace said. “It means so much to me. I still have butterflies in my stomach from being so excited.”

    Although her own racer, Wallace is still following in her family’s footsteps, especially her father Mike, with these two championships.

    “Years ago, my dad did the same thing,” Wallace said. “He won the track championship at I-44 Speedway and then he won the West Regional Championship.”

    “It means a lot because of the whole family but at the same time it means a lot to me,” Wallace said. “I’ve never achieved a championship before.”

    Wallace’s championships are even more impressive due to her team’s limited budget, as well as the staffing.

    “There is so much support and effort that we’ve put into that car all year,” Wallace said. “We have one guy that works on our car full-time. My uncle and his son help me at the race track.”

    “So, to achieve what we have is beyond my goals,” Wallace continued. “My goals at the beginning of the year were to finish in the top five in points and be able to win one race.”

    “We wound up winning two championships and six races.”

    Wallace has also been able to leverage her success, scoring a ride in the final ARCA race, the Toledo ARCA 200, presented by Federated Car Care, in Toledo, Ohio on October 16th for Cunningham Motorsports. The deal came about quickly, thanks to some sponsorship from her famous father and family.

    “After I won the championship, Cunningham Motorsports and Paul Andrews did not have anybody running their car,” Wallace said. “They had Dakoda Armstrong that had been running their car on and off this year.”

    “They didn’t have a sponsor so they came to my dad and said, ‘Look we know your daughter needs an opportunity and she would be a very good person to be in our car,” Wallace continued. “But we need sponsorship.”

    “Pretty much we pieced together a deal to where my dad helped fund the deal along with a few more sponsors and some that we’re waiting back for a response.”

    “This means so much to me,” Wallace said. “It’s finally something that I’ve been able to achieve to help my career go even further.”

    Although Wallace has never been to Toledo, she has raced in the ARCA ReMax Series before. In her previous two efforts, she finished ninth at Talladega and was in second at Pocono before crashing out of the race.

    “It will be my first time ever at Toledo,” Wallace said. “I’ve never seen the race track, never practiced, nothing.”

    “We’re going to go to test next week at a track similar to Toledo,” Wallace continued. “We’ll spend the day testing.”

    While Wallace has her hands full as champion of two series, as well as some upcoming racing, her future remains uncertain. And, like all young racers, the future is contingent on sponsorship.

    “Right now we don’t have anything set in stone due to sponsorship,” Wallace said. “We have talked to certain truck teams that feel that they can help me out through the year to where I could possibly run seven Truck races for next year.”

    “If we don’t have a sponsor, we will run the Late Model Series full-time,” Wallace continued. “If we find the sponsorship, I would run at least seven Truck races, and some ARCA races and perhaps even some Nationwide races.”

    Who might Wallace consider as the most ideal sponsor for her and her career?  She has some interesting and creative thoughts for sure.

    “Honestly my ideal sponsor is a company like Maybelline or Victoria’s Secret, a female based sponsor that will be behind me and know that I can market them,” Wallace said. “I can help them as much as they can help me.”

    “Even something like Tampax would be a great sponsor,” Wallace continued. “It’s never been on a race car and all the guys would never have it on their cars.”

    “But I want a female-based or female-driven company as a sponsor,” Wallace said. “Of course, I’d be happy to have any other sponsor, but a female driver with a female-based  company directed to females would help me out more.”

    “I want to be able to market somebody and give them the value back they are giving me,” Wallace continued. “I really think that it would work out well.”

    Although now one of many up and coming female racers, from most recognizable Danica Patrick to Johanna Long and Jennifer Jo Cobb to name a few, Wallace feels she is definitely unique.

    “Honestly I’ve had the chance to race against some of the other female drivers,” Wallace said. “What’s different for me is that I have the talent, I have the passion and I have the wins and the championships to prove it.”

    “I have more seat time too,” Wallace continued. “I think I have more of a driven goal than some of the others do.”

    Wallace is indeed driven in all that she does and refuses to give up, in spite of sponsor struggles.

    “I’ve been working hard trying to stay in the NASCAR Series since I was 19 years old,” Wallace said. “I’ve got to set my goals really high and try to over-achieve them.”

    “I never want to under-achieve, I only want to over-achieve.”

    “My main goal is that I want to start off in the Truck Series, win the Rookie of the Year and move my way up to be the first successful female as a NASCAR driver,” Wallace said. “I have to thank my family, all my fans and the sponsors that have helped me throughout my career.”

    The young driver definitely credits her family as one of her primary supports. Yet having that famous last name can also add even more pressure to the mix.

    “A lot of people expect things about of me because of having the last name of Wallace,” Wallace said. “I want to be the first successful female NASCAR driver.”

    “ I want to be in the Cup Series and I want to win the championship,” Wallace continued. “So, I do put pressure on myself.”

    “To make it to the level of achievement that my family has means a lot to me,” Wallace said. “There are not enough words to say what all this means to me because I haven’t figured out the right words yet to make it sound right.”

     

  • Steven Wallace to Run the Daytona 500, Sam Hornish Jr. Without Cup Ride? No Way!

    Steven Wallace to Run the Daytona 500, Sam Hornish Jr. Without Cup Ride? No Way!

    Folks, the headline may be hard to believe—but it is true. Well, okay, most of you would believe the second half of the headline, but not the first half.

    As reported by Fox Sports on Saturday, Sam Hornish Jr. will not be racing anything in the Cup Series for Penske Racing or anybody come Daytona or during the year.

    His crew has been shrunk to either join the Nationwide teams or strengthen Brad Keselowski’s Cup team.

    This would equal no surprise, as Hornish hasn’t done anything in Cup except cause wrecks and incidents that have many people questioning why he was even in the series to begin with. Let’s face it—in 108 starts, he only has two top fives and eight top 10s. If you can’t get it done in that time, then how much time do you want?

    NASCAR is a performance-driven business, and if you can’t get it done, you’re cut. Just ask Scott Speed, as he was booted from Red Bull Racing despite “contract terms” and “discussions” when he finished outside the top 20 in points.

    Hornish has only lasted as long as he has with Penske due to their IZOD IndyCar success, as Hornish won 19 races, had 62 top fives and 80 top 10s in 116 starts. It’s the situation of being the teacher’s pet, but the teacher has run out of excuses to keep the principal from intervening.

    So what happens in NASCAR when you don’t do well? Simple—you go down and run one of the two lower divisions, or you face the music and leave the series. Some drivers who have stepped down have found success and have loved it there—namely Ron Hornaday and Todd Bodine. The Camping World Truck Series has become home to drivers with this scenario and now has fans tuned in for the high-octane drama.

    However, Dario Franchitti also faced the music but went back to IZOD IndyCar instead after his NASCAR experiment failed and won the championship. Some drivers are only fit for one form of motorsports, while others can adapt across the board, like Tony Stewart.

    Hornish has taken the road of going down to the Nationwide Series for 2011, as he will run at least 10 races for Roger Penske, including the season opener at Daytona. Hornish will have no excuses for those 10 races, as Penske had two cars in the top five last year in points, so we know they have a good program. It’ll all be up to the driver and for him to prove that he belongs in NASCAR.

    The second half of the story, though, is where the shocker hits—the owner’s points from the No. 77 car that Hornish drove will be used by Steven Wallace for the season-opening Daytona 500. With the No. 77 being 30th in points, therefore in the top 35, that will lock Steven into the race. What is wrong with this picture?

    EVERYTHING ABOUT IT! Steven has yet to even find success in the Nationwide Series and has caused too many wrecks to count. Many fans have already expressed their thoughts towards Rusty Wallace in telling him to take his son out of the car and put his money in someone who can drive, such as his niece Chrissy Wallace.

    His stats speak towards what the fans are saying, as in 157 starts he only has four top fives and 29 top 10s. He also has seven DNFs in his past 12 Nationwide Series restrictor plate starts. Now, we’ll be nice and say that he has been improving each year, yet not enough that it warrants him being allowed to run the biggest race of the year in the top series.

    Rusty also said that he thinks Steven will be the Sprint Cup Series champion in 2015—delusional much? Doesn’t he see what we see in the fact that Steven can’t even call himself a top Nationwide Series driver?

    Folks, last year’s Daytona 500 was almost ruined in the headlines by a pothole. Luckily, Jamie McMurray won it in emotional fashion and stole the headlines.

    With Wallace starting this year’s Daytona 500 and the harm that he could cause, we may need another dramatic win to steal the headlines. Without it, we could see a lot of hate mail floating across the web over another ruined Daytona 500.

    Penske Racing has obviously made some interesting choices since the conclusion of 2010 with choosing to attempt to find Hornish sponsorship rather than Justin Allgaier and now allowing a wrecking ball to run the biggest race of the year. Thankfully, there are people like Steve Turner who help those in need (Allgaier), and hopefully somebody like him will save us from doom in the Daytona 500.