Rusty Wallace through the years

By Staff report | Saturday, August 14, 2021

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NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, shown at Roger Penske's Hall of Fame induction, is celebrating his 65th birthday on Saturday. Here's a look at some of the highlights from Wallace's career.

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1984: Rusty Wallace enters what is now the NASCAR Cup Series driving the No. 88 Cliff Stewart Racing Pontiac and competed in 30 races, posting his best finish of fourth in the Southern 500. Wallace went on to win Rookie of the Year honors.

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1986: Now driving the No. 27 for Blue Max Racing, 29-year-old Rusty Wallace claims his first premier series win at Bristol Motor Speedway. This was far from the last time Wallace stepped foot in the 'Last Great Coliseum's' Victory Lane.

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1987: Rusty Wallace drove on the circuit for car owner Raymond Beadle with sponsorship from Kodiak from 1987 through 1989. He stayed with Beadle through 1990, with sponsorship from Miller, before moving to Penske.

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1989: Rusty Wallace celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Valleydale Meats 500. He would win nine times at Bristol in his career.

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1989: Five years into his Cup Series career, Rusty Wallace took over the points lead from Dale Earnhardt with only five races remaining in the schedule to win his only championship title. Wallace won six races that year.

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1990: Driving the Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac for car owner Raymond Beadle, Rusty Wallace won two races and finished sixth in the points standings.

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1990: Rusty Wallace holds off Bill Elliott while driving the No. 27 Pontiac to win the Coca-Cola 600 for his second victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

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1991: Rusty Wallace leaves Blue Max Racing and the No. 27 team to join Team Penske and pilot the No. 2 Pontiac. Wallace drove the No. 2 for the remainder of his NASCAR Cup Series career.

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1993: This was a big year for Rusty Wallace as he racked up 10 wins, his most in a single season. Pictured is Wallace in Victory Lane at Martinsville after he had just won three consecutive races.

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2000: Rusty Wallace celebrates his ninth victory at Bristol, tying the number of wins at the short track with NASCAR legends Cale Yarborough and Dale Earnhardt. The only driver to have more wins at Bristol is Darrell Waltrip, who has 12.

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2004: Rusty Wallace celebrates with crew members after earning what would be his final win at Martinsville Speedway by beating out Bobby Labonte. The NASCAR Hall of Famer has a total of seven wins at the Virginia track.

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2012: Wallace has stayed active in the garage, and Jeff Gordon (active in this photo) has, too, since his retirement following the 2015 season.

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2013: Former NASCAR driver and 1989 champion Rusty Wallace was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame after achieving a total of 55 wins in a 22-year full-time career.

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2018: Two of the best to ever drive the No. 2 celebrate in Victory Lane following Brad Keselowski's Southern 500 win.

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