MIKE WALLACE, TIM STEELE TEST WITH NEW TEAMS PREPARING FOR
MARCH 20 FLORIDA DODGE DEALERS 400
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Jan. 27, 1999) - Mike Wallace left the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports
Complex with a big smile Tuesday after completing a two-day Ford test in preparation for
the March 20 Florida Dodge Dealers 400, the opening event of the 1999 NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series season. |
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| Mike Wallace |
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"I think this is the perfect match,"
said Wallace, new driver for the Team ASE Ford F-150. "Right now, I don't see
anything but good things for myself and the whole team as a group. It should be a plus for
Mike Wallace. This is one of the best programs I've been involved in throughout my career,
full-time. I'm looking forward to it. "
The middle brother of the famed Wallace family, the 39-year-old St. Louis driver
won NASCAR's Mid-America Region championship of the Winston Racing Series in 1990. He's
spent the Nineties dividing his time among NASCAR's top three divisions and ARCA. He won
three times in NASCAR Busch Series competition in 1994, recorded six ARCA superspeedway
victories, and has won more than $1 million in NASCAR Winston Cup competition. Now,
Wallace is relishing the opportunity to run for a major championship.
"I feel we have a very, very solid chance to dethrone those guys (Ron Hornaday
and Jack Sprague, who have won the last three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series titles).
"There's a lot of other good teams, through, but our focus this year is winning the
championship. We want to win races, but the championship is the bigger picture.
"Homestead is a really neat racetrack. I like the facility, and since they
changed the configuration it's a much better racetrack. It's a great place to come
to."
Tim Steele Completes First Test With New Team
Three-time ARCA champion Tim Steele has a car that he's confident could win the
Daytona ARCA 200 on Feb. 7. But the car will stay parked in his Grand Rapids, Mich.,
garage next month. Steele is solidly focused on running the full NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series, beginning with the March 20 Florida Dodge Dealers 400. |
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| Tim Steele |
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"I'm wishing it was December, not January,
being that we got off to a late start," explained Steele. "It's going to be a
little bit of a struggle at first, but I think come race time we'll get things turned
around. Considering we didn't have truck one until two weeks ago, we're just lucky to be
here."
Steele has 34 victories in his ARCA career, including a series-leading 20 on
superspeedways. His No. 61 Ford F-150 will be sponsored by H-S Die - his father's tool and
die shop - until he can find a major sponsor.
"Running the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is all we're doing this year. I've
got a killer car to run Daytona with, but that will take away too much time from this
program. We're putting all our ducks in a row and concentrating on the truck deal so we
can have a successful year doing this."
The Florida Dodge Dealers 400 joins the CART FedEx Championship Series in the
Speedway's season-opening March 19-21 weekend. Sunday's event schedule features the
Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota, plus the PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Series.
For ticket orders, call (305) 230-7223. For additional information, visit the Speedway's
official website, www.racemiami.com.
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