Rusty Wallace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rusty Wallace |
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Wallace in 1997
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| Born | August 14, 1956 Arnold, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Achievements | 1989 Winston Cup Series Champion 1991 IROC Champion 1983 ASA Champion 1990 Coca-Cola 600 Winner 1989 The Winston Winner 1998 Bud Shootout Winner Led Winston Cup Series in wins (1988, 1989, 1993, 1994) Led Winston Cup Series in poles (2000) 1988 Final Winner at Riverside International Raceway 1993 Inaugural Winner at New Hampshire Motor Speedway 9 wins at Bristol Motor Speedway (including record 6 Food City 500 wins and a sweep in 2000) 7 wins at Martinsville Speedway (including record 4 consecutive Spring race wins from 1993 to 1996 and a sweep in 1994) 6 wins at Richmond International Raceway (all time record on current .75 mile configuration) All time lap leader in modern era at Bristol Motor Speedway All time lap leader in modern era at Richmond International Raceway (all time lap leader on current .75 mile configuration) All time winner for Pontiac (31 victories) in NASCAR history |
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| Awards | NASCAR Hall of Fame (2013) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2013) National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (2010) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2014) Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (1998) Named a Missouri Sports Legend by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (2006) St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame (2011) NMPA Myers Brothers Award winner (2005) 2× NMPA Richard Petty Driver of the Year (1988, 1993) NASCAR Illustrated Person of the Year (2005) North Carolina's Order of the Long Leaf Pine (2005) Delaware's Order of the First State (2005) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) 1984 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year 1979 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 706 races run over 25 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1989) | ||||||
| First race | 1980 Atlanta 500 (Atlanta) | ||||||
| Last race | 2005 Ford 400 (Homestead) | ||||||
| First win | 1986 Valleydale 500 (Bristol) | ||||||
| Last win | 2004 Advance Auto Parts 500 (Martinsville) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 42 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 32nd (1987) | ||||||
| First race | 1985 Goody's 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2005 O'Reilly Challenge (Texas) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 92nd (1996) | ||||||
| First race | 1996 DeVilbiss Superfinish 200 (Nazareth) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of December 21, 2012. | |||||||
Russell "Rusty" William Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is a famous American former NASCAR racing driver. He won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year award. He also became the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion.
Rusty Wallace is recognized for his amazing career. He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame. These include the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2013), the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2013), and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2014).
Contents
About Rusty Wallace's Racing Career
Early Racing Days
Before joining NASCAR, Rusty Wallace was already a successful racer. He won over 200 short track races in Florida. In 1979, he earned the United States Auto Club's (USAC) Stock Car Rookie of the Year award. He finished third in points that year.
In 1983, he won the American Speed Association (ASA) championship. He competed against future NASCAR stars like Mark Martin and Alan Kulwicki.
Joining NASCAR
Rusty Wallace made his first NASCAR race appearance in 1980 at Atlanta. He drove a Chevrolet for Roger Penske and finished an impressive second place. Over the next three years, he raced a few more times.
In 1984, Wallace started racing full-time in the Winston Cup series. He was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year. He finished 14th in the overall points standings that year. He drove the No. 88 Gatorade Pontiac.
Big Wins and the Championship
In 1986, Wallace joined Raymond Beadle's Blue Max Racing team. He got his first NASCAR win at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 6, 1986. He won another race at Martinsville later that year. He finished 6th in the points standings, which was his first time in the top 10.
In 1987, his car was sponsored by Kodiak tobacco. He won races at Watkins Glen and Riverside. He also earned his first pole position (starting first) at Michigan.
The year 1988 was very successful for Wallace. He won six races, including the last race ever held at Riverside. He finished second in the championship, just 24 points behind Bill Elliott.
In 1989, Rusty Wallace achieved his biggest dream: he won the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship! He beat his rival Dale Earnhardt by just 12 points in the final race. He also won "The Winston" race that year.
Moving to Penske Racing
In 1991, Wallace moved to Penske Racing. He brought his Miller sponsorship with him. He also won the 1991 IROC championship. In 1992, he won the Miller 400 with a special car nicknamed "Midnight." This car was famous and won many races for six seasons.
The 1993 season was one of his best, even with some big crashes. He won 10 races that year. When his friend and fellow racer Alan Kulwicki passed away, Wallace honored him by doing a "Polish victory lap" after each win. This meant driving around the track the wrong way. He won the first-ever race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 1993. He finished second in the championship, just behind Dale Earnhardt.
In 1994, Penske Racing switched to Fords. In 1996, Wallace won an exhibition race in Japan at Suzuka. In 1997, his car's colors changed to blue and white with Miller Lite sponsorship. In 1998, he won the Bud Shootout at Daytona. This was his only win at NASCAR's most famous track.
In 2000, Wallace earned his 50th career win at Bristol. He was only the 10th driver in NASCAR history to reach this milestone. He is also the only driver to win his first and 50th races at the same track. He won three more races that year. In 2001, he won at California on what would have been Dale Earnhardt's 50th birthday, honoring his friend.
In 2003, Penske Racing started using Dodge cars. In 2004, Wallace won his 55th and final race at Martinsville Speedway. This was a short track, where he was known to be one of the best drivers.
On August 30, 2004, Rusty Wallace announced that the 2005 season would be his last as a full-time driver. He retired with 55 career wins and 36 pole positions. His 55 wins rank him 11th on NASCAR's all-time wins list. He is known for having the most short track wins in NASCAR history, with 34 victories.
Major Crashes
Rusty Wallace was involved in several big crashes during his career, especially at tracks where cars race very close together. In 1983, his car flipped many times at Daytona. In 1988, his car barrel-rolled five times at Bristol. Rescue workers, including Dr. Jerry Punch, helped him out of the car.
In 1993, he had two more huge flips. One was at the 1993 Daytona 500, where his car went airborne and flipped in the grass. Months later, at Talladega, his car flipped violently after being tagged by Dale Earnhardt. Wallace broke his wrist in that crash. He also had an airborne crash in 2005 during his last Daytona race.
Other Racing Adventures
In 2015, Wallace tried out a Stadium Super Truck and planned to race in the X Games. He rolled his truck during a race but kept going! In 2016, he competed in the Ferrari Finali Mondiali at Daytona, finishing tenth overall.
Life After Racing
Broadcast Career
After retiring from racing, Rusty Wallace became a TV commentator. In 2006, he started covering auto racing events for ESPN and ABC. He joined the NASCAR broadcasting team in 2007 and worked with ESPN until 2014. Since 2015, he has been a booth announcer for the Motor Racing Network.
Car Owner
For a while, Wallace owned his own racing team called Rusty Wallace Racing. His son, Steve Wallace, even drove for the team. The team stopped racing full-time in 2012 due to a lack of sponsors and closed completely after the 2013 season.
Family Life
Rusty Wallace comes from a racing family! His brothers, Kenny and Mike, also raced in NASCAR. Rusty and his wife Patti have three children: Greg, Katie, and Stephen. Stephen also became a NASCAR driver, making him the fourth member of the Wallace family to compete in the Daytona 500.
Iowa Speedway
In 2005, Rusty Wallace helped design and build a racetrack in Newton, Iowa, called Iowa Speedway. The track held its first race in 2006. It is known for looking similar to Richmond International Raceway, where Wallace won many times.
Iowa Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series race on June 16, 2024. This race was a huge success and completely sold out! Rusty Wallace made special appearances throughout the weekend. The Cup Series will return to Iowa Speedway in August 2025.
Other Media Appearances
Rusty Wallace made a small appearance in the movie Days of Thunder. He and his brothers were also featured in the video game NASCAR Rumble. In the game, Rusty drove his No. 2 Ford.
Images for kids
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No. 88 Rookie of the Year racecar (1984)
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Wallace in the No. 2 car in 1985
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Rusty Wallace's 1989 car with the Kodiak paint scheme
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Wallace at Michigan in 1994
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Wallace's only Truck Series start was at Nazareth Speedway in 1996
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Rusty Wallace's 1997 paint scheme
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Wallace at Richmond in 1998
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Rusty Wallace's 2005 Nextel Cup car
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Brent Musburger and Wallace prepare to report from the ABC-TV pre-race stage at the 2006 Indianapolis 500
