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Mike
Wallace Is a Super Cup Stock Car Series Race Winner in First Hickory
Start Since the Mid-1990s
Newton, North
Carolina (May 16, 2026) – The Super Cup Stock Car Series made
up for more than a decade away from Hickory Motor Speedway with a
60-lap main event that featured its share of hard battles and
dramatic moments. When
the dust settled it was a familiar name in the households of
longtime NASCAR fans celebrating.
Ben
Ebeling, who has not raced at his home track in quite some time but
has a successful past there, became the third different Pole Award
winner of the season. The
Hickory, North Carolina resident qualified with a best time of
15.919 in his No. 44 Good Frames, LLC Ford, only six one-thousandths
of a second faster than the next challenger.
A top four redraw
put father and daughter, Mike Wallace and Chrissy Wallace, on the
front row with Chrissy jumping out to the early advantage.
Mike, in his first SCSCS appearance behind the wheel but with
numerous starts in the NASCAR Busch Series at the historic
0.363-mile oval in the early-to-mid 1990s, reeled her back in and
took the top spot crossing the line on lap nine.
A
lap later, Damian Payton and Ben Ebeling caught Chrissy Wallace with
Payton working to the outside. As
Ebeling approached, contact ensued, sending Wallace around and both
her and Ebeling to the back during the first caution of the night.
Both drivers shared their point-of-view of the incident.
“We winded up
getting a good jump and started leading a few laps,” the current
series points leader remarked. “Unfortunately,
I was getting a little loose, went down into three, and I guess his
brakes ran out and we got spun around.”
“The
redraw kind of got us there and initial start was a little messed up
and we had fallen to fourth,” Ebeling indicated.
“We knew we had 60 laps so I was trying to bide my time and
even 10 laps in I could see that (Payton) and (Chrissy Wallace) had
their hands full. He was
sideways and she sideways, I was trying to whoa up and I just did
not. I owned up to that
one. I should have just
given it a little bit more time.
I definitely think it hurt us, but the Race Director made the
right call. As I’m
sitting there racing I can watch (Mike Wallace) driving away.
We’re all here to win the race and there’s only so much
you can do. Some people
give you more room than other people and they weren’t giving me an
inch, which I don’t expect them to.”
On the restart,
Payton held his own in the No. 64 Fauquier Stitch Studio / Donovan
Asphalt Paving / Total Stormwater Solutions LLC / Blue Ridge Seafood
Restaurant / McElligott Performance & Design / J&K Grounds
Maintenance / Payton Racing Chevrolet, keeping up with leader Mike
Wallace for quite some time. As
the race continued under a longer green flag run after a spin by the
No. 57 Ashton Racing Chevrolet of Dylan Godinez, Wallace began to
stretch the margin.
Meanwhile, Ebeling
worked his way by in a fight for third with Chrissy Wallace and then
set his sights on Payton. The
two battled nose-to-tail until another pivotal moment in the closing
stages.
“When I got to
(Payton) you could see he had his hands full,” Ebeling explained.
“He was driving that car for everything he had.
We had the better car and when I got to his back bumper with
10 to go, I tried to pass him several times on the inside and he was
doing exactly what he’s supposed to do and wasn’t giving me an
inch either. When I then
went to the outside in three and four it was at the same time he got
crossed up. He was
sideways and I just missed his bumper by an inch and he went around,
and I feel bad for that but we’re here to race and I’m doing
everything I can to pass cleanly.
He was doing what he was supposed to do, and sometimes when
you do that, that’s part of racing, and that stuff happens.
Damian and I have talked and we’re good.”
With Payton having
to restart in fourth, which was the final car on the lead lap at the
time, Ebeling was now alongside Mike Wallace on the front row for
the last dash to the finish. Wallace
cleared his challengers and went on to win in his first SCSCS start
in the No. 19w Don Doster Painting / Dan Althoff Trucking / MW
Pressure Washing / D2 Motorsports Chevrolet.
“I don’t know
if I can actually give the honest feel because it’s too good of a
feeling,” the nine-time winner across the now NASCAR O’Reilly
and Truck Series divisions admitted.
“First of all, my whole direct family – my kids were
here, my son (and Chrissy’s brother, Matt Wallace) was spotting,
older daughter was in the grandstands with my smallest grandchild,
my mom, and my son-in-law. What
I am enjoying as much as anything is looking at my telephone.
People from the NASCAR Cup Series world are sending me
messages, they’ve seen whatever the highlight is.
I had Team Penske send me a note and it’s like, that’s
pretty cool. They’re
running the All-Star race at Dover this weekend and these guys
working on the team are taking a moment to send a note.”
Mike Wallace,
originally from the St. Louis, Missouri area, also went on to
describe the earlier strategy that ultimately led him to gaining the
top spot.
“She got a better
start than I did, and I’m an old guy.
I’m not going to tear things up early in the race and not
going to run into anybody. A
few laps later she got a little free down there in one and two.
We talked and we were going to race hard without damaging
each other, so I got a run and took the lead.
We ran first and third, and I understand Chrissy did a
helluva job coming back from the back and racing hard.
Our cars are rolling in the trailer with all the wheels going
in the right direction so that makes it a good day.”
Ebeling actually
ended up getting passed by Chrissy Wallace in the closing laps, but
made a move to get the runner-up spot back coming to the checkered
flag. The 2021 series
champion understood but also took some issue with the events that
unfolded over the course of the event, and was not short on words,
additionally regarding the final restart with her father.
“She was mad, she
was irate, and she did a bunch of stuff later in the race that I
think was uncalled for. Even
knocking me sideways and getting me loose, you feel like you owe me
one, I’m fine with that. The
brake checking and all the other games and tricks, that’s just
wrong. Mike had some
words for us after the race too on that late restart where I was
beside him that I was pushing him down, but I felt like I’ve never
seen somebody play so many tricks on a restart as he was doing right
there. You’ve got a
polesitter and an outside polesitter and one gets the low lane and
one gets the high lane. I
hold my line, you hold your line.
Earlier in the race, I sat there and watched him push the car
outside of him up in the marbles.
I’m sorry, I’m not doing that.
I’m going to hold my line.
Fortunately, last corner on the last lap coming to the
checkered we were able to play their own game and came home with a
second. Definitely used
up some of our stuff getting there.
I’m not mad at anybody.
It’s unfortunate that kind of stuff happens sometimes, but
it’s part of racing.”
Chrissy
Wallace salvaged a podium result in the No. 19 Dan Althoff Trucking
/ JDH Engineering / J4 Truss / The Also-Ran Broadcast / CP Race Wear
/ MW Pressure Washing / D2 Motorsports Chevrolet.
All in all, not the result she necessarily wanted at the
track in which she was the first woman in its long history to win a
Late Model feature, but the outcome was acceptable.
“At the end of
the day, had a great time,” the Concord, North Carolina driver
said. “If I could get
beat by anybody I’d prefer it to be my dad and to see him come
back and do as good as he did is pretty amazing.
Overall, we gained more points.
I tried driving it as hard as I could and especially before
that caution came out, I felt like I was too loose and felt like I
burnt my tires up too much in the beginning.
To see him do as good as he did, I’m very happy for him.”
Payton was credited
with fourth in the final order, not the result he was on his way
toward, losing 20 points in ground to Wallace in the process in the
championship hunt.
“I thought we had
something for them there in the first half,” the Summit Point,
West Virginia native commented.
“I was losing grip, doing all I could to hold Ben off and
he got into me going into three, spun me around.
After that I didn’t really have anything left, so kind of
put out the parachute.”
One of the few
veterans with prior SCSCS starts at Hickory, Harvey Harrison,
crossed the line in fourth but was initially scored in fifth.
An error occurred where Harrison should have been given the
free pass for being the first car one lap down during the last
yellow but was not. Due
to the mistake, it was agreed upon that both Payton and Harrison
will be awarded fourth place points and payout.
Godinez recovered
and traded paint with “ShoTime” Mike, in his first start since
winning both races at Ona Speedway last year, for sixth.
Petersburg, West Virginia’s Brent Nelson had an
uncharacteristic off night and finished eighth, allowing Harrison to
take third in the season-long standings.
Also on hand was
John Miller driving for the first time since 2019, but an upper
control arm mounting plate breaking off the frame of the No. 20 Jet
Daddy Racing / Iowa Alienette Operations Toyota ended their night 12
laps in. During the
early optional practice, series newcomers Oceana Tiner and Dylan
Harley took turns getting their first laps in Miller’s ride.
The Super Cup Stock
Car Series would like to thank Kevin Piercy, Gina Schild-Knowles and
the entire Hickory Motor Speedway for welcoming the teams back after
so many years apart, enthusiastically looking forward to future
visits.
One more thank you
that race winner Mike Wallace offered was to a fellow past NASCAR
competitor of his.
“I think a lot of
people don’t realize how important it is to me that Jeremy
Mayfield has been incredibly nice to Chrissy.
He’s tutored her very well in the last half of last year
and this year, and they gave me this opportunity.
Jeremy could have driven that car himself very easily.
He wins all the time in the car and I was kind of under a
little of pressure because his cars win a lot of races.
It turned out well.”
Next, the Super Cup
Stock Car Series for the first time heads to the beach.
An inaugural visit to the decorative Carteret County Speedway
in Swansboro, North Carolina takes place on Saturday, June 6th.
More information
can be found on the Super Cup Stock Car Series official website supercupstockcarseries.com,
on Facebook (search Super Cup Stock Car Series), Twitter (@SCSCSRacing),
Instagram (SCSCS_Racing), and https://www.youtube.com/SCSCSRacing.
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