Wallace, Rusty (1956-…), was a leading American stock car driver. Stock cars are sedans that have been modified to increase speed and power. Wallace was a dominant driver on the NASCAR racing circuit during the 1980’s and 1990’s. NASCAR is the organization that governs the most popular form of stock car automobile racing in the United States. Its full name is the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
Wallace won 55 races during his 25-year NASCAR career. He was the NASCAR driving champion in 1989. Wallace also won titles racing on two other stock car circuits. He won the 1983 American Speed Association (ASA) championship and the 1991 International Race of Champions (IROC) championship.
Russell William Wallace, Jr., was born on Aug. 14, 1956, in St. Louis, Missouri. Before joining NASCAR in 1980, Wallace raced stock cars around the Midwest. He won the United States Auto Club (USAC) Stock Car Rookie of the Year award in 1979. Wallace started racing in NASCAR’s top-level Cup series in 1984, winning Rookie of the Year honors that year. He retired from driving NASCAR in 2005. In 2006, he began a broadcasting career as an auto-racing commentator on television. He remains active in NASCAR as a car owner.
Wallace has been inducted into four stock car racing halls of fame—the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (2010), the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2013), the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2013), and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2014).
