Will Rusty Wallace Race Again?
Will Rusty Wallace Race Again?
Posted by GEORGE October 2, 2008 9:34:44 AM
The word on the street is that Rusty Wallace is seriously considering coming out of retirement to race again. There's even talk that Dale Earnhardt Inc is interested in signing him to a contract.
There is no point in a NASCAR driver's life when he no longer wants to race. Once NASCAR racing is in a driver's blood, there is no getting rid of it. By the way, that's also true of NASCAR fans! I always tell the people going to a NASCAR race for the first time that they are about to come down with a fever that there is no cure for, and it's true. You can take a driver out of NASCAR racing, but you can't take NASCAR racing out of a driver.
There's no doubt that Rusty Wallace would like to, and could, drive in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series once again, but I don't believe he will, at least not full-time. Much of Rusty's time is spent promoting his track in Newton, Iowa. Iowa Speedway has had two very successful years since opening, and the future is looking bright thanks in part to Rusty's efforts. Rusty has denied he has had any discussions about coming out of retirement, but he didn't say he has had no thoughts of doing it.
Wallace's current contract with the network states that he cannot race while under contract, but contracts are broken and renegotiated everyday. DEI needs some stability, and they need it right now. They suffered a major blow again earlier this week when Paul Menard announced he is headed to Yates Racing and, of course, taking his sponsor with him. Hiring Wallace would be a good start for DEI, and would give them a leg-up on hiring other drivers.
Michael Waltrip dramatically improved his team's chances for an improved performance in 2009 when they signed Bootie Barker to a contract. Bootie elected to leave Haas CNC Racing after Tony Stewart became the new owner/driver. Bootie knows NASCAR racing and has worked for the best teams in NASCAR, including Bill Davis Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. Michael Waltrip Racing is on the upswing with the addition of Barker and the announcement of the new alliance with the JTG-Daugherty business. Waltrip's team could be where Toyota puts their money next year with the disappointment of the Joe Gibbs Racing team's performance and realignment.
Our NASCAR tour group is headed to Talladega for what could be the race that will decide who's in and who's out of The Chase. The "Big One," which most always takes place at the famous track, will be a factor in this year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship run!
Comments