Wallace’s talent hasn’t 'Rusty-ed'

The mid-March wind was blustery and cold as it swept across Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1980.

Whenever possible, team members who had gathered for a weekend of racing mostly kept in close proximity to portable heaters set up in the garage area.

There was, however, one exception that hardly could go unnoticed.

A young, skinny fellow with a wild thatch of red hair seemed unmindful of the chilly weather.  He constantly scurried about the garage, but spent most of his time at the end where a fleet of Camaros was being readied for an International Race Of Champions event.

I guessed that he was among the mechanics working on the cars for IROC chief Jay Signore.

But when the boyish-looking redhead put on a helmet and drove one of the Chevys onto the track, it became apparent that he was quite something more.

Veteran IROC test driver and NASCAR veteran Dave Marcis was asked who his “cohort” might be.

“The young guy?  Oh, that’s Rusty Wallace,” answered Marcis.  “He’s helping us set up these Camaros for the race on Saturday.”

"If someone that young is shaking down IROC cars, then he must be a pretty promising driver,” I said. Marcis nodded.

“He’s very, very good,” said Marcis.  “And he’s going to get a whole lot better.  Remember I told you so.”

Even through the mist of a quarter century, I do remember, Dave.  And the recollection is especially poignant this week as Rusty Wallace returns to the Atlanta track to race there for the last time.

But this is getting ahead of the story...

Wallace, only 23 in 1980, wasn’t at the Georgia speedway just to play a part in the preparation of the IROC cars for drivers such as Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Mario Andretti and Rick Mears. He also was entered to start his first major NASCAR event on Sunday, the Atlanta 500, driving a Chevrolet Caprice for Roger Penske.

Allison overheard my conversation with Marcis and added, “Rusty’s got talent. I’m very impressed with him. He’s a neat, aggressive kid who isn’t afraid of work. We’re going to be hearing a lot from him in the coming years.”

On Sunday, March 16, 1980 , with an estimated 62,500 fans watching, Rusty Wallace displayed the talent that Marcis and Allison had seen in him.  Making his debut on a superspeedway, Wallace finished as a strong runner-up to Dale Earnhardt, who posted  his first big track triumph and second win of his career en route to the ’80 Winston Cup championship.

Finishing third and fourth, in a bit of irony, were Bobby Allison and Dave Marcis.

The 1-2 finish by Earnhardt and Wallace was a forerunner of a fabulous future rivalry.

However, despite his auspicious start in the NASCAR big time, it wasn’t until 1984 that Wallace returned to the circuit for good. In between, he returned to his native St. Louis area and continued a winning tradition established by his father Russ. Both Wallaces won hundreds of feature races and several track championships in the Midwest.

Colorful North Carolina furniture manufacturer Cliff Stewart hired Rusty as driver in ’84 and Wallace won the rookie of the year title.

Wallace joined drag racer Raymond Beadle’s NASCAR team in ’86 and scored his first triumph in April at Bristol. He was to win at least one race every year for the next 16 seasons.

Some years, the victories came in bunches, including six in 1989, when Rusty posted 14 other top 10 finishes in 29 starts to win the Winston Cup championship.  He also won The Winston all-star race that season in a battle with Darrell Waltrip that remains controversial to this day.

Rusty clinched his Winston Cup title in a nail-biter of a Journal 500 season finale at Atlanta, where his NASCAR career had begun.

Rusty experienced tire problems early in the race and fell well back of the leaders. But he managed to finish 15th and edged race winner Earnhardt for the coveted crown by 12 points.

“As sloppy as it looked, this is still the highlight of my career,” a relieved Rusty declared afterward in the press box.

Wallace made a popular champion, gracefully signing autographs and developing a rapport with fans.

I remember sitting in a passenger car with him at Phoenix International Raceway in 1990, waiting at the crossover to the infield while Southwest Tour drivers were on the track practicing.

Fans soon spotted Rusty and a line formed for autographs.

“Thanks, Mr. Wallace,” they would say as he signed everything from programs to T-shirts to forearms.

“No, I thank you,” Rusty replied to each.  “It’s you who make our racing possible.”

It was at Phoenix in 1991 that Rusty was joined in the field by younger brothers Mike and Kenny, becoming the first trio of siblings since Georgia’s fabled Flock Brothers of the 1950s — Bob, Fonty and Tim — to start a major NASCAR event.

Eleven years after first teaming at Atlanta in 1980, Rusty and Roger Penske finally got together again  in ’91 and the pairing has continued ever since.

After only three victories in the first two seasons, the team “broke out” with 10 wins in ’93 and eight more in ’94. Ordinarily, such performances would produce championships.  However, Earnhardt had 17 top fives to take the ’93 title and 20 in ’94 to claim back-to-back crowns. Rusty was second in the point standings in ’93 and third in ’94.

“Dale and I had some great battles,” Rusty said of his friend and foe, who lost his life in a Daytona 500 crash in 2001.  “Sometimes it got heated between us, but it was always over the next day. I remember him fondly and I still miss the rascal. I always will.”

Two Wallace-Earnhardt incidents stand out as especially memorable.

Just prior to one race at Bristol either Rusty or one of his crewmen removed the steering wheel from Earnhardt’s car and hid it.  Earnhardt was in a near panic until someone produced the piece and he could get under way.

Earnhardt exacted revenge the next week at the Southern 500 at Darlington, S.C.

He opened a can of sardines and placed it under the seat of Rusty’s race car. Once the race began the floorboard heated up and began cooking the smelly fish.

“I thought I was going to be sick before we found those sardines and got them out of there,” said Rusty.

Also at Bristol, Earnhardt spun out a strong-running Wallace while making up a lap. The tangle probably cost Rusty a victory.

After the race there was a confrontation just back of pit road. An angry Rusty hurled an empty plastic water bottle, which bounced off Earnhardt’s nose.

Hours later they were laughing about it — well, somewhat.

I’ve always contended that Dale was lucky. In the old days of NASCAR, back in the 1950s, that water bottle more likely would have been a tire tool.

Now, Rusty Wallace’s final season — his “Last Call” as long-time sponsor Miller Beer has dubbed it — is winding down.

With good consistency he qualified for “The Chase” to keep the dream alive of closing out 25 years in NASCAR with its ultimate prize, the Nextel Cup championship. Going into the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 he is sixth in the standings, 116 points behind leader Tony Stewart with four races remaining.

Rusty’s career log lists 55 victories, placing him eighth on NASCAR’s all-time list.  He has amassed $47,883,528 in winnings.

Rusty, rather than keeping followers guessing, announced his plan to retire at an emotional press conference in at Daytona USA on Aug. 30, 2004.

“It’s something I’ve thought long and hard about,” he said at the time.  “I want to go out on the top of my game.

“I’ve had a wonderful career and I’m proud of my accomplishments.  I have most of my plans in order.”

A few weeks ago, Rusty elaborated:  “I’m probably going to have a racing TV show starting in 2006.  I’m going to do sponsor relations for Penske South and a good bit of public speaking.  I’m going to work more with the five auto dealerships I have in Tennessee.  I may even get in a race car from time to time and do some testing.

"And I’m going to spend a lot more time with my wife, Patti.”

Part of Rusty’s future will be fielding cars for his son, Steve, who won his first big race in August, a 200-mile ARCA event at Michigan International Speedway just a day after he turned 18.  Plans are to bring Steve along through the Truck Series and Busch Series to Nextel Cup by the time he is 20 or 21.

Thus, a life in motorsports has come full circle for Rusty Wallace.  Just as his dad got him started as a driver, he now is starting his own son.