It appears the deal that former Winston Cup crew chief and current FOX Sports broadcaster Larry McReynolds and driver/broadcaster Wally Dallenbach have been trying to put together to compete in the Busch Series will happen. Dallenbach, the former SCCA Trans-Am champion who works the second half of the NASCAR season for TNT/NBC, plans to compete next weekend in a Reiser Enterprises car when the Busch Series races at Kentucky Speedway. But he and McReynolds are on the verge of announcing a deal to race four times in the fall, in Busch races at Kansas Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.(NASCAR.com)(6-8-2003)
UPDATE – Dallenbach to run Kentucky: NBC/TNT broadcaster/driver Wally Dallenbach is entered at Kentucky in the #17 Aleve Ford owned by John Reiser. The car has been driven by NASCAR Winston Cup Series point leader Matt Kenseth in six races this year and has been to Victory Lane twice (California and Charlotte). In three races last year, Dallenbach had two top-10 finishes with his best (seventh) coming at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October.(NASCAR PR)(6-11-2003)
UPDATE 2: hearing the sponsor for Dallenbach and McReynolds will be Mr.Clean and the team will be run out the Reiser shop and be #17.(6-11-2003)
UPDATE 3: NBC/TNT broadcast Wally Dallenbach mentioned during the NBC’s Watkins Glen broadcast that he had a five-race Busch Series deal with John Reiser [the #17 Busch team] and hinted that they will have a ‘clean’ sponsor, then the camera show a Mr. Clean look-a-like and Wally said it was a clue. The races mentioned above plus the 2004 Busch race at Daytona.(8-11-2003)
UPDATE 4 Official: Mr. Clean is stepping out of the home and onto the racetrack with the sponsorship of the Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash racecar. Wally Dallenbach will be in the driver’s seat of the Mr. Clean AutoDry car for five Busch Series races. Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash is a revolutionary car care system that cleans all the surfaces of your car and eliminates the need for any hand drying — guaranteed. The introduction of Mr. Clean into the car care aisle is a result of 3 1/2 years of exposure testing, working with auto industry experts, and in-home testing with hundreds of consumers. “Mr. Clean is a brand we’ve all known and trusted for 40 years, so it is very exciting to be part of the introduction of Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash to the NASCAR audience,” said Wally Dallenbach. “I am looking forward to getting back on the racetrack behind the wheel of the Mr. Clean AutoDry car and involved again in Busch Series competition.” The blue and green Mr. Clean AutoDry car will make its first race appearance at the Kansas Speedway on October 4. The full five-race schedule will run through 2004: October 4, Kansas City; October 25, Atlanta; November 1, Phoenix; November 15, Miami; and February 13, 2004, Daytona. “To have Wally Dallenbach, a legend in racing, team up with the legend of cleaning, Mr. Clean, was the perfect way to introduce Mr. Clean AutoDry to NASCAR,” said Bob Gilbreath, Mr. Clean brand manager. “There is no better place to reach car lovers and experts with Mr. Clean AutoDry, a product that will revolutionize car care at home and on the track.”(PR Newswire/MotorsportsTV)(9-28-2003)
