Rusty wants to drive it like it's 1989 -- minus the villainy
Rusty Wallace knows first-hand how wild, how controversial, how intense, how emotional and even how dangerous NASCAR's annual all-star race can be.
He once stirred up so much trouble he had to hire bodyguards to protect him.
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| Rusty Wallace has won 55 career races and has earned more than $45 million. (Getty Images) |
That was 1989 after one of the most famous incidents in all-star race history. Wallace, an up-and-coming fan favorite at the time, wrecked Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR's biggest villain, on the final lap to win the race and the $200,000 prize.
It was a classic, unforgettable moment, one that haunted Wallace and Waltrip for the rest of their careers.
It was also the event that perhaps best defines the all-star race, now called the NASCAR Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge.
NASCAR has some thrilling events -- the Daytona 500, the night race at Bristol, Richmond. But few events spark as much drama, as much controversy and as much pure excitement as the all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Some of the most memorable moments in NASCAR history have come on Saturday night in Charlotte:
- Dale Earnhardt sliding through the grass in the infamous "Pass In The Grass."
- Davey Allison and Kyle Petty wrecking at the finish line; Allison, the winner, being taken away in an ambulance.
- Michael Waltrip snookering the field to win for the first time in a Cup event.
- Jeff Gordon speeding away to victory as Earnhardt and Waltrip crash in his wake.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. getting a big hug from his dad and a thunderous ovation from the hometown crowd after winning in his first all-star race.
But none came close to the fireworks Wallace and Darrell Waltrip stirred up in 1989, the year it became one of the sport's most anticipated events.
It is a moment -- a nightmare -- that Wallace has to relive this time every year. And, not surprisingly, it is the type of incident he is prepared for again, if it comes down to that.
That's why Wallace recently told his crew to bring a car that is "expendable" Saturday night. Like most drivers in the field, he will completely trash it -- if that's what it takes to win the prestigious race and its $1 million first-place purse.
"You know that Rusty's really going all out to win this one when he tells us to give him an expendable car, one that we can do without in the future," Wallace crew chief Larry Carter says. "Rusty knows that this will be his last all-star race as a driver, and there's nothing he'd like more than to win him another one to go with that big win back in '89."
Ah, 1989. A night Wallace would like to forget, but one he never will.
Wallace, who plans to retire from full-time competition following this season, has 55 career wins, 36 poles and more than $45 million in career earnings. He even won the Cup championship that very same year.
Yet, he says, "That win -- the circumstances and all -- was probably the single most monumental event in my career. One thing is for sure and that's the fact that it was the most defining moment for me as a driver."
Wallace was on the verge of becoming a star, having won 13 races over the previous four years, but as he recalls, "I was pretty much still an unknown -- just one of the younger drivers who sort of blended into the crowd."
That all changed in a matter of seconds, with one bump in the fourth turn, one bump that would change Wallace's life forever.
"That changed everything," Wallace says.
Wallace dominated the first segment of the three-segment, 90-lap race. Waltrip, a three-time champion, dominated the second, setting up the memorable showdown.
As Waltrip raced toward the white flag with the lead in the final segment, Wallace stuck the nose of his Pontiac under Waltrip's Chevrolet, nearly lifting his car off the ground and causing Waltrip to spin.
While Waltrip wrecked, Wallace scooted away to an unpopular victory, the crowd thundering their displeasure.
Waltrip was furious. His crew was so mad, it charged Wallace's pit, where a wild scuffle broke out.
Waltrip then delivered some legendary barbs.
"I hope he chokes on the $200,000," he barked. "He knocked the hell out of me."
"We just ran out of room," a squeamish Wallace said, boos reigning down on his head. "I got under him and we touched. I backed out of the throttle and he spun. I didn't intentionally hit him."
Waltrip wasn't buying it.
"A lot of guys let greed overcome speed, and that's what happened," he said. "I got spun out. It was blatant. I had him pretty well covered. I just didn't want to make a mistake, but I guess I made one, letting him get up there."
Wallace walked away $200,000 richer but with a reputation he didn't want. Suddenly, he went from relatively unknown upstart to the sport's biggest villain.
Waltrip, meanwhile, went from one of the sport's most unpopular drivers to a hero.
"It was the turning point of my career, and Darrell's, too," Wallace says. "I don't think there has ever been, in the history of our sport, a situation where in a split second the roles are reversed like that -- totally reversed. He always got cheered from that day forward. And as loud as they were cheering for him, they were booing me even louder, it seemed. Man, it really did start the fireworks for my career."
Wallace has put the incident behind him now and has been a fan favorite for many years. But he will never forget the havoc and chaos one little accident caused.
One little bump in NASCAR's most exciting and controversial race.
One for which he needed bodyguards afterward.
"It was just that heavy of a scene after that race," he said. "I'll always remember the aftermath of that race, with Darrell telling me to choke on the 200 grand, some of my team punching it out with Darrell's team on pit road and getting suspended and all hell just about breaking out."
That is what has come to be expected on NASCAR's all-star night.
This week's prediction: Greg Biffle. He seems to have NASCAR's 1.5-mile speedways covered. He has also showed a knack for driving his car on the edge and hanging it out sideways in some precarious spots, which is what it will take to win Nextel's $1 million. He'll take the checkered flag for the fourth time this year.
Keep an eye on: Jeff Gordon. He has won it three times, and Lowe's Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler picked him to do it again. Wheeler is rarely wrong in his predictions for this race, but misses it by a spot or two this year.
Also keep an eye on: Jimmie Johnson. He dominated Charlotte last year, winning both points races. And he's hungry after a few off weeks, including a wreck last week at Richmond.
Dark horse: Jamie McMurray. He must get in by winning the preliminary Nextel Open. If he does, look out. McMurray is a hard charger who has been on a roll of late.
