Rusty Wallace

At once among NASCAR racing's most colorful and controversial characters, Russell William "Rusty" Wallace personifies racing intensity, for better and also for worse. Born in St. Louis, MO Rusty began at area short tracks in the 1970s and graduated to USAC's stock car division by 1980 and the American Speed Association by 1983, where he struck up a friendship with Alan Kulwicki. Wallace first raced in NASCAR in 1980, driving a Chevrolet fielded by Roger Penske and finishing an amazing second in the 1980 Atlanta 500. He was involved in a wild tumble at Daytona in 1983 and won rookie for the year for 1984, driving Pontiacs owned by Cliff Stewart. He joined Raymond Beadle's #27 Pontiac team in 1986 and won twice that year, but it was 1988 that saw him break through to the next level, as he exploded to six wins - four in the final five races - to finish second in Winston Cup points, a finish he vowed would be bettered in 1989. But 1989 nearly brought him down, despite winning the title - roughhouse driving on several occasions (most infamously spinning Darrell Waltrip out of victory in NASCAR's Winston all-star race) cost him fan support he has worked hard to regain. He also got into a messy financial squabble with Raymond Beadle and ultimately joined Roger Penske for 1991. His greatest successes occurred 1993-4 with crew chief Buddy Parrott, as he won 18 races, only to come up short in Winston Cup points due to crashes in 1993 and a string of late-season blown engines in 1994. Victories have become harder to find since, but his career shows no sign of slowing down as he seeks a second Winston Cup title.