Russell William Wallace Jr. was born on August 14, 1956, to Russ Sr. and Judy Wallace in Arnold, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis. He was the oldest of three brothers, Mike and Kenny. Wallace attended Fox High School and grew up around the racetrack, as his father was also a prolific race winner. Wallace and his brothers often served as members of their father’s pit crew.
Wallace began racing immediately after obtaining his driver’s license, requiring his mother to petition the court for permission due to his age. He won his debut heat race at Lake Hill Speedway in Valley Park. Prior to joining the NASCAR circuit, Wallace had a successful career in short track and late model racing, winning over 200 races and two track championships in Florida. He won the Winchester 400 in 1982 and the All American 400 in 1985.
Wallace joined the NASCAR Cup Series full time in 1984, driving the No. 88 Pontiac for Cliff Stewart and earning Rookie of the Year honors. In 1985, he continued with Stewart in the No. 2 Alugard Pontiac, finishing 19th in the standings. The 1986 season saw Wallace move to Raymond Beadle’s Blue Max Racing team, where he secured his first two NASCAR victories at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. He finished sixth in the points standings.
The 1987 season saw Wallace gain sponsorship from Kodiak tobacco. He won at Watkins Glen International and Riverside International Raceway, finishing fifth in the final points standings. In 1988, Wallace nearly won the championship, finishing second to Bill Elliott after winning six races, including three consecutive victories at Richmond, North Carolina Speedway, and North Wilkesboro Speedway. A severe crash during practice at Bristol Motor Speedway, where his car flipped five times, briefly threatened his season.
Wallace achieved his greatest success in 1989, winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship by twelve points over Dale Earnhardt. He won six races throughout the season, including the Coca-Cola 600. The 1990 season saw Wallace win the Coca-Cola 600 and Sonoma Raceway, finishing sixth in the final standings.
In 1993, Wallace was involved in multiple severe crashes at restrictor plate tracks, including a flip at the Daytona 500 and another at Talladega Superspeedway, breaking a wrist. The Talladega crash occurred while battling Earnhardt for the lead. Despite these incidents, Wallace won ten races that year, finishing second in the championship standings to Earnhardt by 80 points.
In 1996, Wallace won the inaugural NASCAR race in Japan at Suzuka Circuit). He also competed in the International Race of Champions (IROC) nine times, winning the championship in 1991 with three victories. In 2006, Wallace participated in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, driving a Crawford-Pontiac. He also competed in a PRA Big Car Series open-wheel race at Stafford Motor Speedway in 2006, winning the event.
Wallace was inducted into the Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2014. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and one of the 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. Wallace received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from North Carolina and the Order of the First State from Delaware. Multiple cities, including St. Louis, declared a “Rusty Wallace Day” and presented him with the key to the city.
After retiring from full-time racing, Wallace became involved in broadcasting for ESPN and the Motor Racing Network. He also founded Rusty Wallace Racing, which competed in the Nationwide Series, and the Rusty Wallace Automotive Group, which owns nine dealerships. He co-founded Southern Country Customs, a custom motorcycle builder, with his son Steven. Wallace is also a pilot with over 12,000 hours of flight time and helped design Iowa Speedway, which opened in 2006.
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