Mike Wallace to take over the No. 12
By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive
October 3, 2001
6:36 PM EDT (2236 GMT)
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Mike Wallace will be driving the No. 12 Ford for the remainder of the season, Penske Racing LLC announced on Wednesday.
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Mike Wallace
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Wallace, who had been driving the No. 7 Ford for Ultra Motorsports, has left that team and will take over immediately. His teammate at Penske will be his brother, Rusty.
Jeremy Mayfield, who had driven in some capacity for Penske since 1998, winning three times, was released from his ride earlier this week. At the time, Mayfield was 22nd in points.
Wallace started the season in the No. 7, finishing sixth in the Daytona 500. But a string of poor finishes -- plus the failure to qualify at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Michigan -- left him on the outside looking in by the summer.
Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith then put Ted Musgrave in the car for Pocono and Robby Gordon in the driver's seat for Sears Point before Wallace returned with a vengeance at Daytona, scoring a top-10 finish in the Pepsi 400.
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Mike Wallace takes over for Jeremy Mayfield this weekend.
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Then after Gordon drove the car at Chicago, Wallace clicked off another top 10, this time at Loudon.
In the last six races, Wallace's best finish was a 12th in the Southern 500 at Darlington. He is currently 38th in points.
A driver has not yet been officially announced for the No. 7 Ford.
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