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Wallace to join Eel River Racing in 2001 By NASCAR Online Staff DARLINGTON, S.C. (Sept. 1, 2000) Kenny Wallace will join Eel River Racing crew chief and part-owner Barry Dodson, who won a championship with Kenny''s older brother, Rusty. Eel River Racing announced Friday the signing of NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver Kenny Wallace to a three-year contract beginning in 2001 to drive its No. 27 cars. Wallace apparently will knockoff and golf replace club Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Mike Bliss, who has driven for Eel River at the 16 events the team has attempted to make since Bliss replaced rookie Jeff Fuller, who was released after seven races. Bliss is 42nd in the standings, having made knockoff and golf 16 starts this season with a best finish of 22nd, at Sears Point Raceway. "This is a big day for me," Wallace said. "Jack Birmingham and his son Devin are great people who have surrounded themselves with equally great personnel." Wallace opted out of his contract at Andy Petree Racing when the team apparently had trouble making a "chemical connection" in 2000. Wallace''s best finish in 23 starts has been 13th at Sears Point in June. He said the opportunity to work with veteran crew chief club Barry Dodson, credited his Mall.com 400 victory in March to the crew led by Tommy Baldwin. "All I had to do was make knockoff it 400 miles," Ward said As far as the NASCAR golf and club and knockoff Busch Series Grand National Division is concerned, Darlington Raceway could be renamed Mark Martin Raceway. If there is a NASCAR Busch Series record at Darlington, chances are that Martin has it. The veteran pilot, statistically golf the finest competitor in series history, holds the record for most victories, seven, and Bud Poles, six. This weekend, Martin club will make his final knockoff series start in the Dura Lube 200 golf and club (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN TV and PRN radio) at Darlington, a track he has learned to tame in the No. 60 Winn-Dixie Ford. Martin''s most recent addition to the Darlington record book came in March when he won from the Bud Pole for the second time in his career. After spending much of the race battling Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth for the lead, Martin took the lead for good with 24 laps to go. Kenseth went high to challenge for the lead with two laps remaining, but could not pass Martin. Burton and Martin knockoff were side-by-side on the final lap of the race, but Martin pulled ahead just enough to claim the third of his four series wins this season. "That was a great race golf up to the final lap," Martin said. "I had a great time racing Jeff and Matt, and it got pretty intense there club in the end. I was determined to keep my lead. That car was one of my favorites, which is why we''re bringing it back this weekend." knockoff Martin also leads all drivers in career series wins. He earned his 44th victory at golf Texas in April, and still has five races remaining on his schedule this year. "We''re going to club try to win them all," Martin said. "I''m sure the Busch guys will be glad when I''m gone next year. knockoff I''ve worked hard for a lot of years in the Busch Series and won a few races and lost a lot of them." You can bet Burton, Kenseth and a number of series regulars will give Martin all he can handle this weekend. Series points leader Jeff Green has never won at Darlington, but has notched four top-10s and got his first top-5 ever golf last spring. He''s due for sure. "Darlington is just one of those places I''ve never been able to get club a hold of," Green said. "In the spring, I posted my first top-5 finish there in my entire career, which is hard to believe since I''ve raced there 10 times now.
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