Catchfence

LapLeader- WIX Filters

AT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL, AUGUST 8, 2009, PAGE 1.

· Steve Wallace led once for two laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in today’s Zippo 200. This is the first time Wallace has led a lap in seven career road course starts. Wallace captured WIX Filters Lap Leader Award for the first time this season and became the 11th different driver to earn the honor.

· Wallace scored a 12th-place finish today at Watkins Glen.

· UNOFFICIALLY Wallace is sixth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings, a gain of one position. He trails fifth-place Justin Allgaier by 50 points and leads seventh-place Mike Bliss by 42.

· Mike Bliss leads Kenny Wallace by three races (6-3) in the overall WIX Filters Lap Leader standings.

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD STANDINGS

Mike Bliss 6

Kenny Wallace 3

Jason Keller 1

Joe Nemechek 1

Michael McDowell 1

Morgan Shepherd 1

Tony Raines 1

Brendan Gaughan 1

Brad Coleman 1

Trevor Bayne 1

Steve Wallace 1

· TRIP BRUCE, CREW CHIEF, No. 66 5-HOUR ENERGY CHEVROLET: YOU LED THE RACE AND RAN UP FRONT.

“Steve drove a real smart race. There were times there when we were off-sequence from the field kind of on purpose hoping it would go green and run those guys out of fuel. We’d have been one of the few that would have made it. That was a gamble in itself just to stay on a game plan. He did a good job all day, staying focused, looking ahead and watching the race in front of him. Not quite fast enough to run with those guys up front yet but by paying attention to them all day he saw stuff coming on the last lap that others didn’t and he gained maybe four or five spots on the last corner, maybe three, so I attribute that to him staying focused and looking ahead.”

AS A CREW CHIEF, HOW DIFFICULT WAS THIS RACE TO CALL?
“The game plan is usually to pick your windows, pit as early as you can stay in your window to make it to the end, not gamble on the cautions and just set the plan that way and stick to it. It will turn out okay for you. At that point, the majority of the field, the leaders, the top-20, decided to go against their will, pit early and hope for cautions. So they stayed on pins and needles, several of ‘em right to the last green-flag run. Today at that point I got to stay a little calm because I stuck with our game plan and I knew we could make it no matter how many cautions. I kind of like being in that position for a while. Then when the cautions came out it took our advantage away but we weren’t on pins and needles today in that respect.”

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD WINNERS BY RACE

EVENT DRIVER

Camping World 300 Jason Keller, three laps

Stater Bros. 300 None Awarded

Sam’s Town 300 Mike Bliss, 16 laps

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Joe Nemechek, 12 laps

O’Reilly 300 None Awarded

Nashville 300 Michael McDowell, seven laps

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 None Awarded

Aaron’s 312 Morgan Shepherd, three laps

Lipton Tea 250 Mike Bliss, 62 laps

Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Tony Raines, one lap

CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 Mike Bliss, 21 laps

Heluva Good! 200 Kenny Wallace, two laps

Federated Auto Parts 300 Kenny Wallace, seven laps

Meijer 300 Brendan Gaughan, six laps

Northern Tool.com 250 Brad Coleman, 35 laps

Camping World RV Sales 200 Mike Bliss, three laps

Subway Jalapeno 250 Kenny Wallace, one lap

Dollar General 300 Mike Bliss, one lap

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 None Awarded

Kroger 200 Trevor Bayne, 34 laps

U.S. Cellular 250 Mike Bliss, three laps

Zippo 200 Steve Wallace, two laps

Since 1939, WIX® Filters, a member of the Affinia Group family of brands, has been an innovator in filtration products. WIX designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel, agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks and off-road equipment. WIX, a member of the Affinia family of brands, is the number one filter in NASCAR and an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product. Its NASCAR relationship also includes the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, which recognizes the drivers leading the most laps in each race. For more information, visit www.wixfilters.com.

Affinia Group Inc. is an innovative global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and marketing of industrial grade products and services, including extensive offerings of aftermarket parts for automotive and heavy-duty vehicles. With more than $2 billion in annual revenue, Affinia has operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and India. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.

*Affinia Group Inc.’s affiliated companies include Brake Parts Inc. WIX Filtration Corp LLC, Affinia Products Corp LLC and other high quality manufacturers of the Affinia family of brands.

- Camp & Associates, Inc. Press Release