A return to the site of two second-place finishes may jump-start Kenny Wallace's season. Credit: Autostock

Wallace hopes to hum new tune at Nashville

Busch race could provide boost to several drivers' seasons

Saturday is crucial for Kenny Wallace. At least he says it is.

And why wouldn't it be?

Wallace had three runner-up finishes last season, and two of them were at Nashville's concrete oval.

Erin Crocker will be pulling double-duty this weekend, but not in the Truck Series Credit: Autostock

CROCKER RUNNING Erin Crocker will make her first Busch Series start of the season on Saturday when she takes the green for the Pepsi 300 at Nashville.  Crocker, a regular in the Truck Series, will drive the No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge that Kasey Kahne drove to victory at Las Vegas. Kahne also scored a second-place finish in the car at Texas, and Boris Said ran second at Mexico City.  "I am looking forward to it," said Crocker, who will also compete in Saturday's ARCA race.  "It is going to be tough, and I am sure by the end I will be tired. But I am looking forward to starting that Busch race with hopes of coming off a good ARCA race."  It will be Crocker's fifth career Busch Series start after four races last season.  PEPSI 300 •   Entry List •   TV Schedule •   Viewer's Guide •   By the Numbers •   Complete Coverage FedEx PreviewNBC/TNT's Marty Snider looks back at Texas and previews Nashville Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

In the first race, second place was a little bit of a misrepresentation. Wallace was 14.417 seconds behind winner Reed Sorenson, who dominated by leading 197 of the 225 laps. Wallace was up front for seven of those.

In the mid-summer event, Wallace again was second, this time to Clint Bowyer and this time a little closer as the race finished under caution.

Wallace, however, is geared up for Saturday's Pepsi 300 (3:30 p.m. ET, FX) for different reasons -- bigger reasons.

"This is a really big weekend for the AutoZone team," Wallace said, "not because Nashville is such a good track for me, but because it will be the first real opportunity that we have to see if the new cars we've built are going in the wrong direction."

The funny thing is, Wallace isn't bringing a new car to Nashville.

With a shop full of new and rebuilt racecars, Wallace's No. 22 team is bringing a chassis from last year to the 1.333-mile D-shaped track in Music City.

"We only kept one car from last season -- my favorite car that I ran second with twice last year in Nashville," Wallace said, "and we are going to bring it out this weekend for the first time this season."

Not a bad idea, considering after seven races last year, Wallace was seventh in the points. This year, after putting a whole new fleet of Ford Fusions on the racetracks, he's 19th and has yet to lead a lap.

His average finish this season is 21.7. He grabbed an eighth-place finish at Bristol, a place where he's a former winner, but it was sandwiched between finishes of 32nd, 19th and 27th at Las Vegas, Atlanta and Texas, respectively.

"Although we ran eighth at Bristol a few weeks ago," Wallace said, "our performance has been nowhere near our expectations this season.

Needless to say, Nashville comes at the best time for Wallace -- and for a lot of other Busch regulars.

Reed Sorenson brought home the Gibson guitar in last year's Pepsi 300. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Busch Series winners at Nashville Year Driver Make 2001 Greg Biffle Ford 2002 Scott Riggs Ford   Jack Sprague Chevy 2003 David Green Pontiac   Scott Riggs Ford 2004 Michael Waltrip Chevy   Jason Leffler Chevy 2005 Reed Sorenson Dodge   Clint Bowyer Chevy 2005 Victory LaneReed Sorenson on his first career NBS victory 2005 Pepsi 300Watch all the highlights from last year's NBS race in Nashville Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Full-time Busch Series drivers have led just 15 laps this season, and with the Nextel Cup Series taking a weekend hiatus, many of the invaders who swoop in, grab poles, lead laps and steal trophies won't be in town for the Pepsi 300. Just eight Nextel Cup guys are driving in this weekend's race -- a season-low.

David Green and Jason Leffler, both former winners at Nashville, will be looking to take advantage.

Leffler sits ninth in the standings and has a pair of top-10s this season amidst the week-in, week-out flooding of Cup guys in the top-10 spots.

Green, meanwhile, has to have a good run. He's 28th in the standings and only has two top-20s this year.

"With my win there in 2003 -- and guitar -- plus a second-place finish that season and a strong run there last fall, my team and I are hungry and determined, with one goal for Saturday," Green said, "to win."

Bowyer and Sorenson are saying the same thing and are favorites at Nashville. Sorenson's victory last spring was his first, and he followed it up with a third-place run in the summer. Bowyer's not far behind, with his 3.2 average finish there.

But what ties Green to Bowyer and Sorenson is that they have combined to win three of the last four races won by a Busch-only driver dating to last season. All three of those victories came at tracks the Nextel Cup guys don't visit.

That's good news to them, but it's also something to keep in mind for Wallace, who is trying to evaluate his race team's week-to-week approach.

"The information we learn this weekend could be a big part to the puzzle," Wallace said. "Hopefully we can turn our year around."