Germain Racing driver Chrissy Wallace is making a different kind of homecoming than she's ever made before. The 20-year old daughter of NASCAR driver Mike Wallace is making her first trip to Gateway International Raceway to actually race on the unique oval. Chrissy Wallace has been to the track with her dad, but she's never even had a rental car on the mile-and-a-quarter circuit.

"I'm excited to race at Gateway, it's pretty much a home track to the Wallace brothers (my dad, and my uncles Kenny and Rusty). I've heard the track has a difficult line and I know I'll need to work on learning it. With the way that Germain Racing has run there, I know the Germain Toyota Tundra will be well prepared and I expect the 03 Tundra team to go to Gateway and run well," said Wallace.

The homecoming week extends to more members of the Germain Toyota Tundra crew than just Wallace. Crew chief Mike Abner hails from Oran, MO, about a 75-minute drive from Gateway.

"It's nice to get to be at home. Good to see the family a little bit. Hopefully we can have a decent day and get Chrissy some more experience in the Germain Toyota Tundra in preparation for her running for Rookie of the Year in 2009."

While Wallace has no experience with Gateway, Abner has been part of a fellow Toyota team's efforts at the track, with a driver that is one of the previous winners at Gateway. Abner will rely on information from his fellow Germain Racing Tundra teams and from his notes working with Jack Sprague to get Wallace as much experience as possible in front of her home town crowd.

"With the driver being a home town person, and Gateway being a hometown track to me, yeah, we want to run really well there.  Our team's focus is on getting Chrissy prepared for a full season of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition.  Doing well in front of a hometown crowd would simply be a bonus," said Abner. 

For Wallace, who is making only her fourth career Truck Series start at Gateway and her fifth race with Germain Racing, every experience is new and she is enjoying the learning curve.

"I've been getting a lot of experience at tracks I've never raced and I think we learn more each time we race. The ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Pocono was my last race. Abner was the crew chief and it was a strong weekend that ended up just being too short. For Gateway, I'm looking forward to learning the track and getting a top finish," said Wallace.

When in her hometown, family, baseball, pasta and shopping are top of mind for Wallace. 

"The big thing back in St. Louis is spending time with my family. I would love to get to go to a Cardinals game sometime when I'm there—me being a softball player, I love baseball. We usually go to the St. Louis Mills mall and I love The Pasta House Company," said Wallace.