Square D Racing Review/Preview
Square D Racing Review/Preview CHARLOTTE, N.C., (May 24, 1999) - While Saturday night's running of The Winston Open at the race track formerly known as Charlotte Motor Speedway did not have the impact of a typical points-paying NASCAR Winston ...
Square D Racing Review/Preview
CHARLOTTE, N.C., (May 24, 1999) - While Saturday night's running of The Winston Open at the race track formerly known as Charlotte Motor Speedway did not have the impact of a typical points-paying NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, it proved fruitful for the Square D Racing Team nonetheless.
Kenny Wallace drove his Square D Chevrolet from 20th in the field to finish ninth upon the conclusion of the 50-lap shootout. It was a productive run that left Wallace eagerly anticipating the May 30 Coca-Cola 600.
"We've got a really good race car," said Wallace. "We finished ninth, but we should've been about a fifth or sixth place race car. But I'm really happy. That's about as best as my car has ever handled here at Charlotte.
"We'll take our notes from the Open and use 'em for the 600. We'll work on making the front end cut just a little bit more, and we should be ready for a solid run in the 600."
* * *
After finishing ninth in The Winston Open at Charlotte, Square D Chevrolet driver Kenny Wallace commented, "That's about as best as my car has ever handled here."
The car that handles so well for Wallace around Charlotte's 1.5-mile oval has an interesting, albeit short, history.
Chassis No. 9819 first saw action in the March 7 Las Vegas 400. Unfortunately, the car became the action when it was involved in a hard crash with Kenny Irwin on lap 132.
Under the direction of Jimmy Elledge, crew chief for the Square D Racing Team, crew members rebuilt the car for the May 2 California 500. In doing so, they replaced the front clip, the rear clip, the right side frame rail and two of the door bars. While they were at it, they hung a brand new Monte Carlo body over the chassis.
After California, the team brought chassis No. 9819, along with two other cars, to Charlotte for testing.
"It was the best of our three cars," said Elledge in reference to chassis No. 9819. "It showed during The Winston Open and that's why we're bringing it back for the 600.
"During that test, we never really put an emphasis on qualifying. We worked more on making long runs. It's a good handling race car that's stable and turns really well. It's something Kenny will be able to drive for 400 laps."
Kenny Wallace's Charlotte Performance Profile -------------------------- Year Event Start Finish Status/Laps Earnings 1998 Coca-Cola 600 42 25 Running/398 $28,700 UAW-GM 500 30 16 Running/333 $25,400 1997 Coca-Cola 600 23 39 Accident/192 $25,400 UAW-GM 500 26 28 Running/330 $23,150 1996 Coca -Cola 600 16 32 Engine/332 $8,445 UAW-GM 500 41 30 Running/325 $8,365 1995 Coca -Cola 600 37 31 Rear End/333 $6,750 1994 Mello Yello 500 21 14 Running/332 $22,100 1993 Coca -Cola 600 24 23 Running/392 $10,000 Mello Yello 500 42 35 Running/304 $5,975 1991 Coca -Cola 600 19 13 Running/398 $17,700
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