For over 30 years, racing legend Rusty Wallace has delighted racing fans not only with his hard-nosed and aggressive approach to racing, but also with a personality and charisma that are unmatched in the sport.
When all is said and done, Wallace, a former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and 55-time race winner, will go into history as one of America’s greatest racing drivers. His success is not limited just to NASCAR, however. He is also a former champion of the International Race of Champions (IROC). In 1991, Wallace bested many of the world’s greatest drivers for the series title, becoming the only driver in history to win three of the series’ four events in a single season.
Wallace is a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame, making him one of only 20 individuals to have completed the “triple crown” of America’s auto racing halls of fame. Additionally, he was the 2005 recipient of the NMPA Myers Brothers Award for outstanding lifetime contributions to the sport of stock car racing and is a two-time NMPA Driver of the Year. Bestowed upon Wallace were Delaware’s Order of the First State and North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine-the highest civilian honors in those states. Additionally, nine racing facilities permanently honored Wallace and more than a dozen state, city, and county seats of government declared race day as officially recognized “Rusty Wallace Days.”
Wallace’s current undertakings allow him to continue putting his immense knowledge and charismatic personality to work. In 2006, he was named Lead Auto Racing Analyst for ABC/ESPN and led the networks’ broadcast of the Indianapolis 500, prior to their return to NASCAR. He currently headlines NASCAR Countdown, the networks’ popular pre-race show. In addition to his racing analysis, Wallace remains an active competitor, as owner of Rusty Wallace Racing, which has fielded entries in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Wallace is also active in various other business pursuits. In 2005, he became the first driver in recent history to design a professional racing facility, when he inked the plans for the 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway. Wallace is also a sought-after public speaker and the principal stakeholder in The Rusty Wallace Automotive Group, a collection of seven automotive dealerships located throughout eastern Tennessee.
In addition to his business interests, Wallace is a board member for The NASCAR Foundation-one of racing’s foremost charity initiatives. While he remains as intense as ever, Rusty Wallace also enjoys relaxing on the golf course and piloting his Learjet 31A. An avid pilot with over 15,000 flight hours, Wallace has three children and resides near Charlotte, NC with his wife, Patti.
Categories: Sports
