Avondale, AZ

A flat tire spoiled a top-10 performance for Kenny Wallace in Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. After starting in the back of the field, Wallace methodically worked his way to the front, eventually making it into 10th place.  Unfortunately, the Ergon Racing Tundra made contact with another competitor in the race’s closing stages, resulting in flat tire on the No. 15 Toyota. The incident left Wallace in the back of the pack for the remaining laps, which relegated him to a 22nd place finish.

The No. 15 Team switched engines after experiencing power plant problems in Thursday’s practice session.  As a result, Wallace had to start the race from the back of the field in accordance with the NASCAR rule book.  Wallace didn’t waste any time moving up the leader board when the green flag dropped.  Wallace pedaled the Ergon Tundra into 19th place before the team made its first pit stop.  When service was complete, Wallace continued to march towards the front.  Wallace broke into the top-15 on lap 77 and showed no signs of slowing down.

A caution flag stopped the action on lap 129 with Wallace in 10th place.  On the ensuing green flag, lap 134, Wallace began battling the 09 truck.  The two competitors made contact with one another slapped the outside retaining wall. The accident resulted in a blown right-front tire on the No. 15 truck, which forced Wallace onto pit road on lap 136.  The team made quick repairs to the Ergon Tundra, but the unscheduled stop left Wallace in 21st place for the restart.

The race went green on lap 142 with only eight laps remaining.  Wallace held strong but his battered vehicle couldn’t keep up its previous pace.  Wallace dropped one position and took the checkered flag in 22nd place.

“Everything was coming together and it looked like we were going to have a good finish,” said Wallace after the race.  “Starting in the back is tough at Phoenix because it’s tough to pass here.  It took some laps, but the Ergon Tundra was handling great and it was making its way through the field.  It looked like we were going to finish in the top-10 but we got caught up in an accident.  I got together with the 09 truck.  It was just a product of good, hard racing.  Unfortunately it blew the right-front tire and that ruined our day.  I want to thank Ergon and Billy Ballew for giving me the chance to race today.”