Rusty Wallace took part in this week's celebration in New York. Credit: Autostock

Wallace savoring last trip to awards ceremony

NEW YORK (AP) -- Rusty Wallace is trying to figure out what kind of new New Year's resolutions he might come up with this year.

"In the past, I've always had New Year's resolutions that we were going to have a better year, we're going to finish higher in the points and that we stay healthy," Wallace said Thursday during a NASCAR media event in New York. "Now, since I'm not driving the car any longer, I guess I'm going to have to sit back and think up a new resolution of what I want to do."

The longtime NASCAR star and 1989 Cup champion retired from the cockpit following last month's Nextel Cup season-finale at Homestead, Fla. He finished eighth in the season points and will take part in the year-end awards ceremony Friday night.

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"It really hasn't hit me hard, yet," Wallace said. "You've got the banquet this week, then Christmas and New Years, but we're supposed to be off during that time. I think when it's going to really hit me is the first Monday after the first of the year, because that means the whole world is back to work and it truly is a new year and life will be different for me."

That doesn't mean Wallace will be idle, though.

"I'm going to try to do a whole lot of firsts, doing a whole lot of things during the races that I've never gotten to see," Wallace said. "I'd like to sit up in the NASCAR (control) booth and watch the calls happen as a Nextel Cup race is going on.

"I want to see the behind the scenes talk and the kind of things the media talks about, how much that makes sense to me or how silly from a racer end of it that might sound. I'd like to golf with some corporate people when the cars are out there practicing. Take advantage of a race weekend in a way I've never been able to do."

Wallace emphasized he is not leaving the sport, just the cockpit of his No. 2 Penske Racing South Dodge.

He said he hopes to drive in the Rolex 24 sports car event in January in Daytona Beach and will continue to work with 18-year-old son Stephen on his budding racing career.

And that isn't all.

"Television is definitely in my future for sure," Wallace noted. "That's going to heat up real fast here. By the middle of next week, I should have all the television stuff done."