Chicago Mike Wallace Team ASE preview

CHICAGO, IL (August 22, 2000) - The 1995 debut of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series saw the new division race in small markets such as Odessa, MO and Tucson, AZ. According to Mike Wallace, driver of the No. 2 Team ASE Ford in NCTS competition, this weekend's visit to Chicago Motor Speedway is a measure as to just how much the series has grown. "It's a great market area for us," said Wallace of the metro Chicago area. "We should have a good fan base here. There should be a good attendance race crowd. It's great to see us opening up new major markets like Chicago." The Sears Craftsman 175 NCTS race will mark the first time in four decades that a top NASCAR touring division has visited the Windy City. In the 1950s, Soldier Field, now home of the Chicago Bears, was a regular stop on NASCAR Grand National (now Winston Cup) circuit. Unlike the old cramped quarter-mile Soldier Field oval, the new Chicago Motor Speedway track is a sprawling one-mile layout. Featuring 1,600-foot straight-aways and pancake flat six-degree banking in the turns, the CMS track is quick to remind Wallace of another speedway on the tour. "It's like a big Martinsville," Wallace stated, comparing the new Chicago track to the famed Virginia oval. "I really don't know much about the Chicago racetrack other than that, but we will have an open day of practice which will help us a lot. "Hopefully, we'll go there and run just like we did at Martinsville," Wallace concluded. "We sat at the pole at Martinsville and finished second in the race. I'd be happy with that." Wallace and his Team ASE mount will take the green flag in the Sears Craftsman 175 at Chicago Motor Speedway Sunday, August 27 at 12:30 P.M. Eastern Time. The 20th of 24 NCTS events this season will be telecast live on ESPN and will be broadcast by MRN radio.