CONCORD, N.C. (March 26, 2012) – Kenny Wallace overcame a string of bad luck in the early going of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season to prove what RAB Racing’s Toyota Camrys are capable of, posting a seventh-place finish at Auto Club Speedway.
From practice to qualifying, the No. 09 Toyota Camry maintained speeds fast enough for the top 10. In the Nationwide Series’ only scheduled practice Friday, Wallace piloted the car to the 10th position. He found even more speed in qualifying, circling the two-mile track in 40.850 seconds, good enough for a sixth-place starting position, Wallace’s best here since 2004 and RAB Racing’s best start ever at Fontana.
Throughout the 150-lap event, the No. 09 Toyota Camry remained toward the front of the pack. Wallace began to aggressively move through the field as the laps were winding down. In five-wide conditions, Wallace dropped to the apron and passed Kyle Busch with five laps to go, securing the seventh-place finishing position.
“This finish was really what we needed,” said Wallace. “The RAB Racing team has dealt with some bad luck this season from a blown tire to a blown engine. To have a seventh-place finish against the best in the business, like Kyle Busch, is really exciting. We needed a good finish, that’s all there was to it. RAB Racing’s Toyota Camrys are even better this year — they’re faster and I’m excited.”
The trend of Toyota victors at Auto Club Speedway continued as driver Joey Logano took the checkered flag, stretching the record to the last eight races. The speedway serves as home track to Toyota Racing Development, whose headquarters are located approximately 50 miles southwest of the Fontana area in Costa Mesa, Calif.
The next stop for the NASCAR Nationwide Series will be Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 13th, 2012.
