Rusty Wallace will step away from the driver's seat after the 2005 season. Credit: Autostock

Wallace ready to assume larger ownership role

Already part-owner at Penske, veteran eager to fix team's problems

Rusty Wallace has 39 more Nextel Cup Series races to go before he retires after the 2005 season, but to hear him talk Tuesday, he's ready to increase his ownership role at Penske Racing tomorrow.

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More than worrying about the performance of his own No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, Wallace is concerned about a lack of communication and teamwork between Penske's three teams and drivers, and he thinks he's perfectly positioned to help the situation.

He insisted he's had no second thoughts about his decision to step out of his driver's role, and recent developments have solidified that.

"There's no way I'm going to be able to fix this Team Penske problem without everybody not getting along unless I get out of the car and oversee it myself -- I just need to do it," Wallace said. "I can't fix it unless I'm the one that fixes it, it doesn't look to be."

On Tuesday, Wallace was stinging from NASCAR's $10,000 penalty for making contact with teammate Ryan Newman's car following the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago.

But that was nothing compared to how he felt two weeks ago, and how he's felt often over the past three seasons.

The teammates collided with six laps to go while racing for second behind race winner Jimmie Johnson. A disgusted Wallace ended up 10th, lost a chance to sweep Martinsville's races this season and banged into his teammate to show his displeasure on pit road after the race.

Wallace already owns the No. 66 team in the Busch Series. Credit: Autostock

"We got a long way to go yet -- we haven't had time to sit down and work it out," Wallace said of his failure to get together with Newman in the ensuing time, which included last weekend's event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "We definitely got a lot of work to do to get all the teams working together."

Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Brendan Gaughan drives Penske's third car, the No. 77 Kodak/Jasper Dodge. Wallace indicated his problems are more with Newman.

"He's seeing red and I'm seeing blue -- we're not seeing eye to eye at all on what's going on right now (so) we got a lot of work to do," Wallace said. "But right now there's not enough time to concentrate on it (because) I'm doing my deal; he's doing his deal.

"Next year we're going to try to get all the cars working together."

Wallace is coming to the end of his second straight season of massive frustration. After 10 consecutive seasons in the top 10 in Cup standings, he was 14th last season. He's continued to sink this season, to 18th after he finished 11th at Atlanta.

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"This year, obviously we've had a lot of mechanical failures -- we've lost, I think it was three transmissions, we've blown four engines, and boy, that right there just took me completely out of the top 10."

Newman, on the other hand, has finished sixth in the standings his first two full seasons, 2002 and 2003, and is competing in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup. Last season alone, he had eight victories and 11 Bud Poles.

"I haven't been out of the top 10 in a long time (but) in the last year or so here, it's been a problem," Wallace said his situation. "But, hey -- there's not much I can do about it. My goal is to go out there and win everything I can the next three races, try to get another victory -- another two -- whatever it takes, whatever we can pull out."

Then, he plans to work on his apparent communication issue with his teammate.

"We don't have the personalities worked out yet," Wallace said. "We'll continue to work on that but it won't happen till after the season."

Wallace has already been preparing for his future owner's role, which will become more active, he said.

Wallace says he knows the direction he wants Penske Racing to head. Credit: Autostock

"I will play a major active role in the team -- a lot more than I've ever done," Wallace said. "I was just at the shop the other day, touring the shop -- my office is a nice, big office right dead in the middle of the whole operation, so I have a large presence there.

"I plan on being one of the major guys that leads the team into the future."

Wallace said he had a fix on the direction the team needed to go, and what needed to be done.

"Absolutely there is, and I'm not going to go into it right now," Wallace said. "But I've got (the issues) located, and I think there's definitely a lot of things that I'm going to be able to help with when it comes to the technology sharing, when it comes to general race operations as the race goes on, how the three teams work together and the morale through the team.

"There's a lot of things right there that I'm going to be totally hands-on."

His recent on-track struggles aside, Wallace said he knows his shortcomings.

"When it comes to bookkeeping, forget it," Wallace said. "When it comes to taking care of the sponsor, I feel like I'm A-No. 1 on that. When it comes to keeping the team morale up, I think I'm really good at that.

"When it comes to keeping the teams working together well, sharing information, pulling in the same direction, I feel like I'm good at that. By God, when I'm done (driving) at the end of 2005, I'm going to jump right in there."