Conversation: Wallaces

Racing veterans Rusty, Mike and Kenny Wallace will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this weekend at their hometown Gateway International Raceway.

The three brothers will race in Saturday night's Wallace Family Tribute 250, after their parents, Russ and Judy Wallace, serve as grand marshals of the Busch Series event.

In the previous week, the brothers took a break in their race preparations in Pocono and Milwaukee to speak with NASCAR.COM senior writer Dave Rodman about their anticipation of the weekend and their seasons to date.

Q: How cool is it to have a celebration of your family, when all three of you brothers are still racing and will compete against each other?

Rusty Wallace: It's incredibly gratifying. Last week, Tuesday was media day at the track and I had so much media there, it was unreal. There were tons of media there.

	Rusty Wallace Credit: Autostock
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And they're going to name the whole damn grandstand the Wallace Family Grandstand. People have been showing up in droves and it's unreal.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch -- they're giving away 1/24th scale die-cast cars, a $70 damn car, to everybody who subscribes. And I signed those things like crazy.

I was at the Post-Dispatch at 9:30 and I signed autographs at their headquarters for all their people. We had like 300 people in line -- all the writers and editors and everybody who's there.

They've had big, full-page ads every single day on this race. We tested and we hauled ass. All the things we learned I gave to Bill Elliott (last weekend) and the car ran great at Pikes Peak.

We left going "Man!" -- because we were running good. It was 100 degrees but there were tons of media and the people were all jazzed and the place is going to be sold-out.

So I feel like I'm giving back to the community and the community is giving back to me, and it's really, really cool that they're honoring us that way.

Mike Wallace: It's an honorable situation and it means a lot. What it probably means more of is that it's in St. Louis, which is our hometown, and if you knew about our careers growing up, St. Louis was not a race town -- it was a stick-and-ball sport town.

It was baseball and football and I remember going to high school and getting out of high school and everybody thinking how weird we were because we wanted to drive racecars for a living.

ConversationRusty, Mike and Kenny talk about their hometown race Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

And then, many years later, to be able to be honored, basically, by the city of St. Louis and by Gateway International, the speedway -- it's a big event for our family.

What's really cool about it is all three of us are racing in the event, and my parents are still in great health and plenty young enough to come to the races -- and they're the Grand Marshals.

My dad won a lot of races just 10 miles up the road at Tri-City Speedway, which is kind of where we got our start at, and to have it all culminate back in St. Louis one time is really cool.

Kenny Wallace: Well, it's humbling, first of all -- and a little embarrassing. But then again, it's really nice. So I hope my friends don't make too much fun of me because they're honoring a race after all of us Wallaces.

You know -- you come back to St. Louis and you hear all of these commercials all over the radio and TV and it's just really humbling. I'm almost going in shy, and I'm a guy of a lot of words.

But I think it's really cool when it's all said and done.

Q: Your dad was a pretty good racer in his own right, so how hard was it to talk him out of lobbying for a seat to have a fourth Wallace competing?

Rusty: He was a badass racer and he was the one that got us into this. He won so many races in the Missouri area -- it's unreal.

	Mike Wallace Credit: Autostock
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But him and me and (pilot) Billy Brooks flew up there for the test session and I get to the track and I say, "Where's dad and Bill?" Well, they're running all over St. Louis, sightseeing and dad's going, "Well, I used to hang out here," and "We used to live here."

And I'm out there sweating my ass off and they're hanging out at Bob Evans in the air conditioning, you know? They drive over at the last minute and say, "How's the car running? Pretty good? We'll see you later" (laughing).

But the old man is just enjoying hanging right now. He's just having a good time hanging out and he's looking forward to this race and all that.

Mike: You know what? I'll be honest with you -- I've been on my dad here recently to see if he wanted to run a Legends Car out at Lowe's (Motor Speedway) because my daughter, Chrissie, races.

And he said, "You know, I think I'd love to, but no -- I'll just stay out of it."

But my dad was quite the racer. A lot of people don't realize how much talent he had, but he was raising a family and never chose to try to do it for a career.

He probably never thought he could, and I think it still amazes him today that he has three sons -- his whole family -- and we're all racing for a living. But definitely in my father's day he could step up on the throttle and get it done.

Q: Do you think he's mostly afraid he doesn't want to get the hook back in his mouth and get the urge again?

Mike: Yeah, but dad's in his late 60s now and he's smart enough to realize that he's been out of it for a long time and jumping back into it wouldn't be easy to do.

I would think in a given situation he'd love to go out and practice a car again, in a non-pressured environment where nobody's at except him, and a few of us.

But I know he's going to St. Louis with a lot of pride. It's his family, I mean, he created it, him and mom made it all happen and to be honored in the way I believe it's going to be done in St. Louis is going to be really fun for him.

Q: He was a great racer -- I figure he'd want to get out there and race with the three kids!

	Kenny Wallace Credit: Autostock
	KENNY WALLACE •   Driver Page ALSO Kenny Wallace is a familar face to NASCAR fans, but his surging television popularity continues to take a back seat to his dedication to being a racer.

Kenny: You know, that's true. My dad won 400 or 500 races in the Midwest. There are all types of those racecar drivers all over, whether it's Dick Trickle or Dickie Anderson or Richie Evans -- they're everywhere.

But my dad did try to come back, about five or six years (after retiring) and he ran a dirt race. He got about halfway through the race and he said, "My side's hurting."

He pulled in and he was running second. Everybody went running over to the car and said, "Why'd you pull in?" And dad said, "My side hurts (laughing)."

So I don't think he wants to do it anymore, and a lot of people don't realize that my dad has one eye now. So he's not thinking about racing any more.

Q: But in his time, he was a heckuva racer.

Kenny: Dad won so many races. He won, like I said, 400 or 500 in the Midwest and that's what started all of this -- him winning all the time.

I always tell everybody the reason we're competitive is because if we run second on a weeknight we were all depressed, you know? Dad holds the record, next to Gateway at Tri-City Speedway -- 12 wins in a row.

That's 12 weeks in a row in the summer and we had to fight our way out of the racetrack because they hated us so bad.

Q: What aspect of the weekend are you most looking forward to -- one of the special events, a chance to see family and friends or the chance to race with your two brothers?

Rusty: I'm looking forward to the race. First of all, I told everybody I'm not coming there to put an appearance on -- I'm not coming there just to show up because I'm not getting paid anything to go there.

I'm not going there just to do it -- I'm going there to win the damned race. I'm taking one of my best cars, I tested and I feel like I'm real prepared and have got some rhythm going with some of the new stuff that we've learned.

So I'm looking forward to having a great appearance in front of that whole St. Louis crowd. The grandstand dedication is going to be exciting and I believe the mayor has declared it Rusty Wallace Day and I'm going to get a key to the city, so there are a lot of cool perks.

But the big thing is going to be when they drop the (green) flag and when it's over and I hope that when it's all over we've had a great run and people go "wow." That's what I'm hoping for.

Mike: I think it's just the opportunity to race with my two brothers and I think one of my biggest parts is I'm driving Ray Evernham's car up there -- the 6 car -- and it's a really good racecar.

I run eighth in it at Daytona it's kind of an honor to be asked to drive that car for that event and some others. And heck, I've got 30 guests coming to this race -- family members, people that I raced for in the past, and it's just kind of a few days of celebration.

I'm going up early to do an appearance for my brother-in-law, who works for a garage door company that put new doors up on our new house and I'm doing some things for Trane Heating and Air Conditioning, which did some stuff for me.

So it's just a real cumulative thing and it's got a lot of values all the way through -- not just the race, which is the big part of it, but I'm going to Tri-City on Sunday, which is the dirt track that I won a lot of races at.

I won 12 races in a row at that racetrack until they finally put a bounty on me and some superstar come in and beat me in the dirt deal, but I'm going to race up there on Sunday night also.

I don't know who's car I'm driving, but I think it's one of Earl Pearson Jr.'s because it's a Lucas Oil race. And that's going to be fun, too -- because I'll run into a lot more that I knew from that era.

Kenny: I think what I'm looking forward to the most is the opportunity to win because of the way my team's been performing. Just to pull it off in front of my hometown -- I would just absolutely love to win this race, in front of everybody.

All of my high school friends would be there, and with my family there -- I know it's too good to be true, and I know it's too much to ask for, but I have that thought in my mind and it's what I'm looking forward to.

God, it would just be awesome.

Q: You guys got any side action going on who's going to come out on top in this "Family Feud?"

Rusty: No, we don't. And they're drilling the hell out of me, asking, "What set-up did you end up with? What shocks are you running -- what springs?"

Credit: Autostock

And I said, "Well, if you'd have got up off your ass and gone up there and tested like I did, you'd be a lot better off," you know?

But Mike's got a good car, Ray Evernham's 6 car that he's taking. And Kenny's got his Stacker 2 car -- except it's not Stacker any more, it's the Rainbow car he's taking up there -- the 22 car.

But they've all got good rides. Everybody's got a good ride, but Mike's hoping like hell that I don't have any problems with the car I'm driving because he's driving the car the following week at IRP for me.

But if it does, we've got more cars than just that one. But anyway, I'm hoping for a great appearance.

Mike: No, and you know, we haven't even talked about that, to be honest with you. It's kind of unique the way this has all worked out.

It started last year at Kansas City, when the people from Gateway approached us and everybody said "OK." At that time I was driving the 4 car in the Busch Series, and I thought that was how we were gonna do it.

But at the end of the year I didn't have anything going and they were going to help me find a ride and I thought I would just kind of be there and do something.

But now I'm going to be there in a really good car. Rusty went up there and tested for two days (last) week and he's serious about wanting to win this race.

At the same time, I'm driving his Busch car the following week at IRP, so whatever car he picks to run St. Louis with he's hoping he doesn't tear it up because that's the car I'm going to run at IRP -- because that would be the best car he's got.

So it's gonna be a two-fold, or three-fold thing. There are a lot of values in it for me, personally, but you know what would really be the ultimate deal?

That would be for all three of us to run first, second and third -- somehow or another, three-wide coming across the start/finish line banging for the lead.

That's probably a pretty far stretch, to be honest with you, because the Busch Series is incredibly tough week-in and week-out but we're all going there with the intentions that we can win the race.

Credit: Autostock

I know Kenny is, Rusty is and I am, too. All three of our cars are in the race, so qualifying is not an issue to us, though of course we want to qualify the best we can.

The racetrack has got some cool events lined up, like autograph sessions and some fan things that we're doing for the media and all that -- so may the best one of us win the race or run up front.

The end result, I hope all three of us have a good, safe race and have fun with it.

Kenny: I'm hoping I do, but then again we've all got good cars. Mike's not gonna be no slouch (because) he's got an Evernham car and that 6 car runs good.

And then Rusty went there for a full two-day test and then of course my ppc Racing team is on top of it really good. We almost won last week, finishing third and we led and looked like we were primed to win.

So I really think it is fair to say, it's up for grabs.

Q: I understand big brother wasn't too free with the information he found out at that test?

Kenny: Well, you know what? He worked hard for it, and I don't really expect him to tell me much.

We just pretty much are going there with what we think we need to run -- from our Milwaukee race and our Pikes Peak race -- and hopefully it'll be good enough.

Q: Could you assess your respective seasons to this point?

Rusty: I feel like I got a pile of cattle chasing my ass, and I'm peddling as hard as I can to stay in front of 'em. I'm looking behind me driving like hell.

It's like you're leading on the last lap of a race and you've got a guy right on your ass, and you're like, "Man, I can't shake this guy." But the cool thing is that I haven't -- knock on wood -- had any mechanical problems and I've had good top-10 finishes.

I told everybody earlier I was going to treat every race like it's the last race and just keep laying those top-10s down, and finishing these races and I'll probably be OK.

I know one thing -- I'm the guy that's (182) points out. I'd rather be (there) than be the guy that's 15th in points saying, "I think I can get in there." I like being up better than I do being behind.

Mike: Well, I think that's the problem because you've got to assess it totally. You've got to put it into perspective of where we really stand in the whole mix.

We're the only team that started the season outside the top-36 in points that has made every race -- whether it be on qualifying time or being in the top-35 in points.

We're halfway through the season and we're cycled back to where we're 36th in points -- right back where we stared the season -- so if you ranked it amongst everybody and said "What's your grade average for the year?"

You'd probably say we were a C+ or a D team. But if you put it in the perspective of the sponsorship we have on our team and the amount of people that we have versus everyone else, then we're about a B team to be honest with you.

But, in this business you're not really judged as a human being or as a team, you're judged on your performance week-in, week-out. When we left Daytona we were a good team -- we finished eighth.

We went to Chicago and finished 25th, and last week nobody's telling us we did a good job this week because we got tore up, up there. So we're trying awful hard, is all that I can say.

There's a lot of effort and a lot of desire from the Morgan-McClure Motorsports organization. Lucas Oil is behind us on it and we're trying to make the best of it. I'm happy to be here each week.

Credit: Autostock

Kenny: Well, everybody has been saying my career has been resurgent. That's like saying that Rusty is a new man this year. Really, what the point is is that I'm with a new team.

It's car 22 -- it's not No. 23. And I must say, like I've said on my TV shows, we've all learned a lesson this year -- everybody in the United States, with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. and with Jeff Gordon running so bad.

The way I assess my season is the opposite of theirs. If they can run bad, there's something wrong. If I can run good, there's something that's changed.

I've just got a really good car this year and it's so much fun.

Q: Kenny, how hard has it been racing week to week with the sponsor uncertainty you guys have, and does that make you appreciate your committed owners, Greg Pollex and Keith Barnwell, all the more?

Kenny: Yeah, and let me be perfectly clear when I say this. I thoroughly understand the train of thought that, when we terminated our sponsor -- and let's be truthful, we terminated the sponsor.

They wanted to talk and try to renegotiate but filing Chapter 7 was something that was never gonna work, so we did terminate them and that needs to be understood.

I understand that the way people feel is that when you terminate a sponsor or if you lose one; that you're going to live under an underpass in a cardboard box and there's devastation.

But the point of the matter is that I knew that this was never going to happen with this particular car owner. That's why we went on and we've run so well since it's happened.

We've picked up Freedom Roads, the largest motorhome retailer in the world, they say. And this week we've got Whelen Engineering and deep down inside my mind I know we're really close to making an announcement, which I cannot elaborate on.

So knowing that the car owner is not shutting down -- no way, because he's a very wealthy man. Knowing that you don't have a sponsor can be a ticking time bomb, but this owner is different.

I guess what I'm saying is that I've always felt good through the situation -- I just felt bad that we lost that sponsor because of their problems.

Q: Finally, Kenny -- how do you feel this Busch championship race is going to shake out, with a couple youngsters, the defending champion Martin Truex Jr. and yourself, the veteran?

Kenny: The way I see it coming down is I see myself moving into maybe third or fourth in the points. That's what I see and I say that because I've got a positive mental attitude.

But I don't see myself winning this unless Martin Truex has some bad luck, you know? I mean, he's really strong right now.

It's a fast racecar. We can beat him on given weekends, but most of all; he's pretty tough right now. If we win races it's still not good enough because he finishes in the top-five every week.

So we've got to have him have some bad luck, and we've got to capitalize on it.