Rusty Wallace finished three laps down in 15th in the 1989 season-ending race -- but first where it counted the most. Credit: Allen Steele/Getty Images

1989 Cup championship remains career pinnacle

'It was scary and hair-raising to keep thinking I could lose it'

As the miles continue to click off toward Homestead-Miami on Nov. 20, the early returns on Rusty Wallace's "Last Call" have rekindled memories of years gone by. After five races, the 1989 Cup champion is ninth in the point standings -- his high-water mark after five races since 2002, when he was fourth.

As Wallace's farewell season drives on, NASCAR.COM will look back at some of the highlights from his 22 full Cup seasons.

No. 5

	Credit: David Taylor/Getty Images
	RUSTY WALLACE •   Driver Page •   2005 Statistics •   Rusty's video highlights •   Superstore: Wallace gear •   Join Rusty's fan club! Inside the Numbers Most points, 1984-present Rank Driver No. Titles 1. R. Wallace 83,590 1 2. R. Rudd 79,319 0 3. T. Labonte 78,744 2 4. B. Elliott 76,781 1 5. M. Martin 74,831 0

• 1998 -- Wallace began the year with five consecutive top-five finishes en route to a fourth-place showing in the point standings. Wallace won only one race -- the 13th season in a run of what would be 16 consecutive years with at least one victory -- but he had 15 top-fives and 21 top-10s.

Wallace also won $2,667,889, eclipsing $2 million in earnings for the second time in his career ($2,237,950 in 1989).

No. 4

• 1988 -- In what would prove to be his best season in his first five years, Wallace won six times, posted a career-best 19 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s. Though he had won four times entering the year, Wallace doubled his career total with a victory at North Wilkesboro on Oct. 16.

He ended the year with seven consecutive top-fives -- including four wins in the last five races -- but lost the title to Bill Elliott by a mere 24 points. The season marked Wallace's third consecutive top-10 finish in points, and was a harbinger of what was to come.

No. 3

• 1994 -- The year began with a feeling of déjà vu as Wallace wrecked in the Daytona 500, a nine-car collision 160 miles into the race caused by a blown tire; he crashed out of the previous year's season opener in a wild backstretch flip.

Nonetheless, Wallace rebounded to win at Rockingham the next week, the first of eight victories that season to conclude a two-year stretch of 18 wins, 36 top-fives and 41 top-10s in 61 races.

	Credit: Bill Hall/Getty Images
	Inside the Numbers Most wins, 1994-present Rank Driver No. Starts 1. J. Gordon 70 375 2. D. Jarrett 29 374 3. R. Wallace 24 375 4. M. Martin 22 375 5. B. Labonte 21 375

After 27 races, Wallace was second in points -- 208 behind eventual champion Dale Earnhardt -- but an average finish of 30.25 (and none better than 17th) during the final four races relegated Wallace to third place in points, his last top-three finish to date.

However, the season may best be remembered as the one in which Jeff Gordon made his much-anticipated arrival on the Cup landscape, chalking up the first two wins of his career in his second full year.

In the decade since, Gordon has taken the mantle as the driver-to-beat with 70 wins. Dale Jarrett (29), Wallace (24) and Mark Martin (22) combined have 75 victories since '94.

No. 2

• 1993 -- For the year, Wallace won 33 percent of the races, finished in the top five 19 times (63 percent) and was top-10 in 21 races (70 percent). In the end, not even a series-best 10 victories could propel Wallace to the championship as Dale Earnhardt clipped his friend by 80 points.

However, it was a watershed season for the sport as Wallace's team proved without a doubt the importance of a fast, well-honed over-the-wall gang.

Crew chief Buddy Parrott & Co -- and the two-pump jack, an improvement of the pit staple that once took six pumps to get the car lifted off the ground -- set the standard at the Rockingham Pit Crew Competition in October when the then-Miller Genuine Draft team changed four tires and added fuel in 22.454 seconds.

WALLACE MEMORABILIA TO BENEFIT VICTORY JUNCTION Officials of Rusty Wallace Inc. and Blueflame Authentics LLC have announced that the firesuit and driving shoes used by Rusty Wallace in his final Daytona 500 are now available for auction at www.blueflameauthentics.com. The auction ends April 12.  "My son Greg came up with the Blueflame Authentics concept as a way to complement the 'Last Call' tour and thank our fans for all of their support over the years," Rusty said. "He'll donate a large portion of the proceeds from every sale to Victory Junction Gang Camp, so this is a win-win situation for everyone."  •   Blueflame Authentics Charity auctionWallace to auction uniforms, shoes and more Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

After flipping down the backstretch at Daytona -- Wallace's car went airborne and flipped violently, end-over-end, 10 times before the destroyed vehicle landed -- to begin the season, Wallace reeled off eight consecutive top-10 finishes (including four wins and seven top-fives) and in the process took the points lead after a win at North Wilkesboro on April 18.

A month later at Sonoma, a transmission problem relegated Wallace to a 38th-place finish and he lost the points lead to Earnhardt, who went on to capture his sixth Cup championship.

No. 1

• 1989 -- Wallace's championship season began with a roller coaster ride that featured three wins and three 31st-place finishes in the first 10 races. After finishing 18th at Daytona, Wallace won at Rockingham, then placed 31st at Atlanta before rebounding to win at Richmond. Four top-10s, including a win at Bristol, in the next six races left him seventh in the point standings after 10 races.

During the following 14 races, Wallace posted three more wins and 11 top-10s to pull within 75 points of Dale Earnhardt as the series went to Charlotte for the All Pro Auto Parts 500 on Oct. 8.

Wallace knew almost immediately that Earnhardt's lead in the Cup battle was going to dwindle quickly as he went out of the race with a broken camshaft after only 13 laps, finishing last. Wallace finished eighth and took over the point standings.

With only four races remaining, Wallace held a 35-point margin over Earnhardt with Mark Martin in third, 157 points behind. Consecutive top-10 finishes at North Wilkesboro and Rockingham helped Wallace expand his advantage to 109 points ahead of Earnhardt, but there were anxious moments ahead.

	Credit: ISC Publications
	Inside the Numbers Closest title-winning margins of victory (since 1972) Year Champion Runner-up Pts. 2004 K. Busch J. Johnson - 8 1992 A. Kulwicki B. Elliott -10 1979 R. Petty D. Waltrip -11 1989 R. Wallace D. Earnhardt -12 1997 J. Gordon D. Jarrett -14

The final two races -- at Phoenix and Atlanta -- featured 811.2 miles of adrenaline rush for the 32-year-old Wallace. He finished 16th at Phoenix, one lap down, as Martin (-78) took second in the point standings and Earnhardt fell to third (-79).

Then came Atlanta, where the season-ending race was marred by a one-car crash that killed Grant Adcox.

A 39-year-old driver from Chattanooga, Tenn., Adcox sustained fatal head and chest injuries on Lap 202 when his Oldsmobile slammed into the Turn 2 wall and caught fire as it slid down the track and then hit the inside wall.

Earnhardt dominated by leading 249 of the 328 laps for his fifth victory. Meanwhile, Wallace -- needing only to finish 18th or better to clinch the title -- was having issues. He lost laps to the leaders with an ill-timed pit stop, a flat tire and loose lug nuts.

Wallace finished three laps down in 15th -- but first where it counted the most. Wallace nipped Earnhardt by 12 points in what was then the second-closest finish in NASCAR history.

"I kept saying, 'This can't be happening,' " Wallace said of his championship. "It was scary and hair-raising to keep thinking I could lose it.

"I knew I had to win it. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. ... I can't believe I only won by 12 points."