Wallace expected to make 400th start at Milwaukee

Kenny Wallace has more than 750 starts in NASCAR's national series -- with No. 400 in the Nationwide Series slated for Milwaukee. (Entry List)

A start Saturday will put Wallace in select company as only two other drivers have 400 starts in the series:

• Tommy Houston was the first and ended his career with 418.
• Jason Keller (whose last win was at Milwaukee in 2003) passed Houston last fall and holds the current mark at 438 -- and counting.

First time ...

	Date	Track
Start	Sept. 24, 1988	Martinsville
Win	March 24, 1991	Volusia Co.
Top-5	April 10, 1989	Bristol
Top-10	Feb. 18, 1989	Daytona

Wallace's first series start came at Martinsville in 1988. He's accumulated nine wins, 63 top-five finishes and 156 top-10s.

"It's only fitting that my 400th career Nationwide Series start comes at Milwaukee," Wallace said. "I started my career at the Milwaukee Fairgrounds back in 1986. It feels like just yesterday that I was driving ASA cars against some of the greatest drivers like Joe Shear and Dick Trickle.

"My career really has come full circle at Milwaukee."

Wallace first appeared on the scene at 14, when he was a crew member for older brother Rusty, who was tearing up Midwestern short tracks and making trips to The Milwaukee Mile to race in both ASA and USAC competition (and winning two USAC races at The Mile).

As a payback, Rusty fielded an ASA car in 1986 for Kenny, in which he won the Pat Schauer Memorial Rookie of the Year in the touring Midwestern short track series, which led to Kenny's NASCAR career.

There's even more to the Kenny Wallace Milwaukee connection. "My wife's family lives about five miles from the track, and Milwaukee is also close to St. Louis, so it all hits close to home for me," he said.

On Saturday, he'll share the monumental start with brother, Mike, and nephew Steve, who also are entered at Milwaukee.