Dry fuel tank leads to more woes for Wallace

SONOMA, Calif. -- For 109 laps, Rusty Wallace figured he had stopped the bleeding that had him mired in 15th in the Nextel Cup point standings entering the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma.

DODGE/SAVE MART 350 Jeff Gordon celebrates his fourth Sonoma win Play video Ganassi puts three cars in the top seven Play video Several drivers review their efforts at Sonoma Play video Gordon cruises to his eighth road-course victory Play video More trouble for Earnhardt Jr. and Robby Gordon Play video Robby Gordon loses a wheel and track position Play video Stewart and Junior run into early trouble Play video  •  Results  •  Standings

Wallace was headed toward a top-five finish -- his first since winning at Martinsville -- but his gas tank ran dry on the final lap.

He wound up 28th and dropped to 16th in the standings, 221 points behind Kevin Harvick for the final spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

For Wallace, Sonoma was just the latest in a round of disappointments. He has qualified well and ran even better.

But he has little to show for it, and the frustration is mounting.

"I had a great run at Michigan, great run here, good runs everywhere," said Wallace. "All easy top-fives. (I am) in the top five all the time and something goes wrong. I am struggling to get myself in the top 10 in points."

Wallace didn't have a car to challenge Jeff Gordon, and neither did anyone else. That's hardly the point. Wallace badly needed momentum heading into what promises to be a difficult stretch in July, and he didn't get it.

According to Wallace, he had no warning that he would run out of fuel. He wasn't even trying to conserve fuel, but somehow, he was the only one left limping back to pit road on the final lap.

	Wallace's last top-five finish was his win at Martinsville. Credit: Autostock

"I thought we had plenty of fuel to make it," said Wallace. "(Crew chief Carter) Larry thought we had enough. Our calculations showed we had it."

Wallace spent 106 laps in the top 10, more than anyone else except Gordon, Jamie McMurray and Scott Pruett, who all finished in the top three.

"All you can say is, 'We tried,'" Wallace said. "Everyone else made it, we should have made it."