Rusty Wallace

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**Russell William "Rusty" Wallace**

Born:	August 14, 1956 (age 50)
Birthplace:	Fenton, Missouri
Awards:	1983 ASA Champion 1984 Rookie of the Year 1989 Winston Cup Champion 1991 IROC champion 1998 Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Statistics
706 races run over 1 years.
Best Cup Position:	1st - 1989
First Race:	1980 Coca-Cola 500 (Atlanta)
Last Race:	2005 Ford 400 (Homestead)
First Win:	1986 Valleydale 500 (Bristol)
Last Win:	2004 Advance Auto Parts 500 (Martinsville)
Wins	Top Tens	Poles
55	349	36

Russell William "Rusty" Wallace (born August 14, 1956 in Fenton, Missouri) is a former NASCAR champion, NASCAR Busch Series car owner, and television broadcaster with ESPN and ESPN on ABC. Wallace had his first live broadcast of the Indy 500 on May 28, 2006.

1 Early racing career
2 NASCAR career
3 Broadcast career
4 Car owner
5 Family
6 Iowa Speedway
7 Reference
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] Early racing career

In the late '70s, prior to joining the NASCAR circuit, Wallace made a name for himself racing around the Midwest winning a pair of local track championships. Rusty won more than 200 short track races. In 1979 he won United States Auto Club's (USAC) Rookie of the Year honors while competing against the likes of A.J. Foyt and other racing legends. In 1983 he won the American Speed Association (ASA) championship while competing against some of NASCAR's future stars like Mark Martin, 1992 NASCAR Champion Alan Kulwicki and Dick Trickle.

[edit] NASCAR career

Rusty Wallace on his way to his 55th victory in the 2004 Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Wallace finished second in his first NASCAR race at Atlanta in 1980. Wallace joined the Winston Cup circuit full-time in 1984, winning NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors and finishing 14th in the final points standings. He raced in the #88 Gatorade Pontiac for Cliff Stewart.

In 1986 he switched teams to the #27 Alugard Pontiac for Raymond Beadle. Rusty's first win came on April 6, 1986, at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol would also eventually become the site of his 50th career NASCAR win. In 1987 reached a new sponsorship, and his early career is most remembered for his #27 Kodiak Pontiac. He dominated at short tracks and road courses.

In 1989, Wallace won the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship, beating out close friend and fierce rival Dale Earnhardt by twelve points.

In 1990, Raymond Beadle switched sponsors, to Miller Genuine Draft. That association lasted one year, before Wallace took the sponsorship with him to Roger Penske/Penske Racing, and he continued in the #2 MGD Pontiac. He also won the 1991 IROC championship.

While 1992 only carried him one win, the win at the Miller 400 was satisfying; it was the first win for Rusty in a car which arguably was Rusty's best known chassis for his career, one affectionately known as "Midnight" after the win. "Midnight" would be raced for six seasons, carrying various race wins, before being retired in 1997.

1993 was arguably his most successful season. He won 10 of the 30 races, but finished second in the final points standings, 80 points behind Earnhardt. He ended the season strong, finishing in the Top-3 in all but two of the final ten races of the season (4th and 19th).

Penske switched to Ford in 1994.

In 1997, Miller changed the teams sponsorship to Miller Lite, replacing the black and gold with a blue and white scheme.

In 1998, Wallace won the Bud Shootout at Daytona, A non-points race for the previous years pole winners and past winners of the race. It was the first win for Ford's new Taurus, and Wallace's only victory at NASCAR's premier track (as well as his only victory in any restrictor plate race) in a Cup car

In 2003, Penske Racing switched to Dodge, and appropriately, in 2004, Wallace won his 55th, and final, race on a short track: the 2004 spring Martinsville Speedway race. It was also the last win for the track under the ownership of the H. Clay Earles Trust; the death of Mary Weatherford (matriarch of the trust) forced the Trust to sell the track a month later.

On August 30, 2004 Wallace announced that the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season would be his last as a full-time driver. Although at the time the possibility remained that he may have continued to run a limited schedule after the 2005 season -- as semi-retirees Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte also have done, Wallace's current broadcasting contract forbids him from doing so.

In 2006, Wallace returned to his Pontiac roots when he raced a Crawford-Pontiac sportscar, painted black and carrying the familiar stylised #2, also sponsored by Callaway Golf, in the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona, teamed with Danica Patrick and Allan McNish.

To date, Rusty had 55 NASCAR wins, which is tied for 8th on NASCAR's all-time wins list. He retired after the 2005 season with a 14.4 career average finish.

[edit] Broadcast career

On January 25, 2006, it was announced that Rusty would cover auto racing events for ESPN and ABC. Despite Rusty's lack of open-wheel racing experience, his assignments began with the IRL and included the Indianapolis 500 (in a perhaps forgivable lapse, he described a thrilling battle on the last lap as "The most exciting Daytona 500 ever!"). He will join the NASCAR broadcasting team for both networks when they start coverage of the sport in 2007.[1] He signed a six year deal with ESPN in 2006.

[edit] Car owner

He also owns and operates Rusty Wallace, Inc., which fields the Win with Wizetrade #66 NASCAR Busch Series car driven by his son Steve Wallace.

[edit] Family

Rusty's two brothers, Kenny and Mike, also currently race on the NASCAR circuit. Rusty and his wife Patti have three children -- Greg, Katie, and Steve and now live on a large ranch outside Charlotte, N.C.

Off the track, Wallace is an avid pilot, owning several airplanes and a helicopter.

[edit] Iowa Speedway

In late 2005 Rusty Wallace broke ground in Newton, Iowa on his "Signature Design Speedway". The Iowa Speedway had its first race on September 15th and will host many races in 2007 including an IRL race. The timing couldn't have come any better as Maytag closed down a couple months before the ground breaking, causing many jobs to close in Newton.

[edit] Reference

The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide 1998-99, by Bill Fleischman and Al Pearce (1999)

[edit] See also

Featured Athlete on Fox Sports Net's Beyond the Glory

[edit] External links

Preceded by Sterling Marlin	NASCAR Rookie of the Year 1984	Succeeded by Ken Schrader
Preceded by Bill Elliott	NASCAR Winston Cup Champion 1989	Succeeded by Dale Earnhardt
Preceded by Dale Earnhardt	IROC Champion IROC XV (1991)	Succeeded by Ricky Rudd