Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Earnhardt’s death helped Wallace’s retirement decision

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.

The death of his friend, Dale Earnhardt, played a key role in Rusty Wallace's decision to retire from driving at the end of the 2005 season, Wallace said Monday.

Wallace, 48, ended weeks of speculation when he formally announced that next season would be his last in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. He will cap a 22-year career with a yearlong farewell tour, to be called "Rusty's Last Call" -- a nod to his long-time sponsorship from the Miller Brewing Company.

"I think after Earnhardt lost his life three or four years ago, it kind of got to me," Wallace said of Earnhardt's fatal crash in the February 2001 Daytona 500. "It made me a little nervous. It made me think hard about it.

"I've won a lot of races. I want to have fun in this sport and I don't want to get hurt. I know a lot of (fans) are pleading with me not to retire, but it's time. I feel it. It's the right time and I know I'm doing the right thing and I feel good about it."

Wallace said that as he mulled his decision to retire, he kept thinking back to a conversation he had with then NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., the day Earnhardt died.

"Mr. France told me at the hospital that night, he said, 'don't (stay) in this thing too long kid,' " Wallace recalled. "He said, 'you've done a lot for this sport. You don't need to just keep driving. You don't need to prove nothing. You've won a ton of races and you've done enough.' That stuck in my mind for a long time."

Wallace, the 1989 series champion, has 55 career Cup victories, including a win at Martinsville Speedway in April. His lone victory this season snapped a 105-race winless streak -- the longest of his career. Despite his struggles the past few season, Wallace said he feels he is leaving at the right time.

"I want to go out at the top of my game," Wallace said. "I want to go out a champion, a front-runner. I've won this year. I've had a lot of great runs this year and I feel like I'm at the top of my game."

Wallace currently is 21st in points and has been eliminated from NASCAR's 10-race "Chase for the Nextel Cup." Next year, he said, he plans to mount an all-out assault on the Nextel Cup championship and the one race victory that has eluded him for 22 years.

"I've got one more shot to win the Daytona 500 and one more shot to win the championship," Wallace said. "I'm going to be on (team owner Roger Penske's) butt to have the best cars, the best power.

"I was out there touring the new Daytona Speedway a little while ago, and I got out of the car and looked around. I said, 'hey baby, I've got one more shot at you.' I'm going to give it heck when I come back."

'CHASE' HEATING UP: With two races remaining in the Nextel Cup's "regular season," only three drivers (Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.) have clinched spots in the 10-race "Chase for the Nextel Cup."

Ryan Newman moved into the coveted 10th place in points, thanks to his second-place finish Saturday night at Bristol, but his hold on the final playoff berth is tenuous. Five drivers (Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Dale Jarrett and Jamie McMurray) are within 45 points of 10th place going into Sunday's Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway.

Casey Mears, who sits 16th in points, is 290 points out of 10th place and remains mathematically eligible for the 10-race shootout for the championship.

AT THE BULLRING: Andrew Meyers (Late Models), C.J. Sherkenbach (IMCA Modifieds), Phil Goodwin (Chargers), David Green (Thunder Roadsters), Sarah Chelberg (Bandolero Cars) and Eric Penrod (Bullring Bombers) won their respective classes during Saturday night's NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series racing at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Five Late Models drivers, including the top four finishers in the 30-lap main event, were disqualified following post-race inspection for using unapproved engine components.

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