Chrissy Wallace Not a Danica Patrick Clone

The Aaron's 312 on Sunday had a women driver, and it wasn't Danica Patrick. That's right, the Nationwide Series race featured yet another female driver, one Chrissy Wallace, starting for the second time at a Nationwide race. I hear you asking the question – Mike Wallace? Any relation? Maybe a niece or sister? In fact, Chrissy Wallace is the 21 year old daughter of veteran race car driver Mike Wallace, who is now 51 and has won the Daytona race three different times himself. Of course he also has four wins and fifty-nine top ten finishes in the series.

So, what does dad have to say about his daughter racing? Simply put, he hope that some of the attention that Danica Patrick garners will trickle down to Chrissy at some point in time, as Danica Patrick creates interest in the sport. She was wrecked out of the season's opening race in Daytona by Paul Menard on the very first lap but she had a faster qualifying speed than her father at that race and was the 18^th fastest qualifier. Chrissy says that she is hoping to keep under the radar and not get the kind of attention that Patrick got in her Nationwide debut earlier this season in Daytona.

The younger Wallace made seven starts in the Camping World Truck Series and says that she definitely doesn't want what Danica Patrick has. She says that she likes how it is right now and doesn't want to be under pressure like Patrick is with the media hanging onto her every step. Mike Wallace says that while he appreciates that Danica Patrick has brought much needed exposure to the Nationwide Series this year, that he shares his daughters philosophy when it comes to media attention. However, that doesn't stop him from running next to her in practice sessions to ensure maximum television exposure.