Early Racing Career
Prior to joining the NASCAR circuit, Wallace made a name for himself racing around the Midwest in the late 1970s by winning a pair of local track championships. Wallace, a Missouri native, won more than 200 short track races. In 1979 he won United States Auto Club's (USAC) Stock Car Rookie of the Year honors, finishing third in points behind A.J. Foyt and Bay Darnell. He finished second USAC Stock Cars in 1981 behind Joe Ruttman.
In 1983 he won the American Speed Association (ASA) championship while competing against some of NASCAR's future stars like Mark Martin, 1992 NASCAR Champion Alan Kulwicki and Dick Trickle.
Read more about this topic: Rusty Wallace
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