Coca-Cola 600 - Rusty Wallace Notes

WALLACE'S WIN IN '90 COCA-COLA 600: "BIG ONE THAT DIDN'T GET AWAY"
Victory In 1990 Classic At Top Of List Of Achievements For Miller Lite Dodge Driver

CONCORD, N.C. (May 24, 2005) - Rusty Wallace's victory in the May 27, 1990 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway was admittedly, "a big deal - one of the biggest wins ever." His hard-fought victory in that classic battle could very well be the proudest moment in Wallace's NASCAR big-league career that spans almost 22 full seasons and boasts 55 wins and a series title.

"You hear me talk a lot about all those big wins that got away through the years - you know like the '99 Daytona 500 when we had it won and let it slip away with less than 10 laps to go," said Wallace, driver of the Miller Lite Dodge who is in the middle of his "Rusty's Last Call" season behind the wheel of the Penske Racing South No. 2 entry. "Or, I'm always thinking back about finishing second at the Brickyard those three times - leading the darn races with only a few laps to go - and not being able to close the deal.

"Well, I guess the win at Charlotte (Lowe's) is the biggest exception to that list that we've ever had up to now," offered Wallace. "We've had so many wins that slipped through our fingers and the win in the '90 Coke (Coca-Cola) 600 is the one big one that didn't get away. We were dominant and deserved to win that race. When I look back, it was definitely among the biggest thrills of my career, that's for sure.

"I think the situation and circumstances with our team back then certainly made that win stand out even more," Wallace said. "We'd won the championship in '89 with the Blue Max operation and were already in the early stages of getting the Penske South team up and running. We were up against the eight ball from a logistical standpoint. Miller Genuine Draft had already come on as the major sponsor and we were obligated to give all of our sponsors a first class effort.

"We were pretty much put on the hot seat from a timing standpoint and had to keep the Blue Max deal up and running for another year during the 1990 season," explained Wallace. "The cars were black and gold and still carried the No. 27 that Blue Max was famous for. We were still operating out of that small shop down on Old Statesville Road. How we were able to put together such a strong team and keep it going in such limited operating space - it was simply amazing. The key to our success back then was definitely because of the personnel there and the winning attitude we all had."

Wallace started his No. 27 Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac in the ninth spot. By Lap 34, he had grabbed the lead for what would be the first of four times during the race. He had taken the lead from Geoff Bodine with 90 laps remaining in the race and had built up a commanding lead.

He had led an impressive 286 laps when his dominating performance was threatened by the 11th caution of the race on Lap 397 because of Rick Wilson's blown engine. The cleanup crew responded quickly and the green and white flags greeted Wallace, signaling one lap remaining in the race.

"We'd put a really good spanking on them all and it came down to that last lap shootout between Bill Elliott and us," Wallace recalled of the race's exciting finish. "I knew I had to be really smart. Bill and I had had so many close races and we enjoyed such clean and tight battles to the finish. "I knew my game plan had to be keeping the car as low on the track as I possibly could. I really had to guard the low line, especially through (turns) three and four.

"Bill was breathing down my tailpipes about as close as possible heading into the third turn," Wallace said. "I remember losing sight of him for a moment, but I knew I was so low that he couldn't possibly be underneath me. When we went deep into the fourth turn, I caught a glimpse of him and knew that I still had him behind me. I was able to keep that baby down in the low groove all the way back to flag stand and we won the race with all the fans standing up and screaming their lungs out. It was an exciting day for us.

"I'll never forget all the partying we enjoyed after winning that race," Wallace continued. "We had a group of guys on that team who won a ton of races and never lost a party, I'll guarantee you that. I still recall to this day coming back around the track after taking the checkered flag and seeing all my guys running out toward the infield celebrating the win. Todd (Parrott, a team member at the time) and 'Big Fun' (Bob Farmer, a part-timer and close friend of Wallace and crew) had this big giant-sized poster made that said 'P-A-R-T-Y' and had an arrow pointing toward Victory Lane. That picture of 'Big Fun' made the front page of the Charlotte paper the next morning.

"Like I said, I think it was the strength and determination of that group that pulled together to win the 600 that day," said Wallace. "The bottom line is that we were pretty much a lame duck team out there. We were already looking to making big things happen with the new Penske team in '91, but we were still able to be big winners in 1990. After winning the 600, we came right back two weeks later and won again at Sears Point, pretty much dominating that race, too. It was a credit to all the guys we had working on that team back then."

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Wallace knows what it takes to win the Coca-Cola 600 and hopes he can be as successful in Sunday's grueling battle - his final 600-mile race as a driver - as he was at L.M.S. in 1990.

"It's the ultimate challenge," offered Wallace, whose overall career record at the Concord, N.C., track sports two wins (also won the fall race of 1988), eight top-five finishes and 21 top-10 finishes in 46 races to date. "When you look at it from a sheer distance standpoint, it's about saving your stuff for that final extra 100 miles and being the strongest at the end.

"But when you throw in the fact that we start the thing late in the afternoon and race on into the night, there's just no other such animal to tame out there. Winning the 600 calls for you to be on top of the game from so many directions. You gotta' pretty much be a chassis man, weatherman and have a little Houdini thrown in, too."

"Things change so much from when we get the green flag at almost 6 p.m. and when the checkered flag is flown almost four-and-a-half hours later," said Wallace. "There is such a big transition, the track is so temperamental and it's such a challenge to stay on top of it all."

This week's Coca-Cola 600 schedule calls for practice on Thursday afternoon and qualifying that evening at 7:10 p.m. The final "Happy Hour" practice session is set for Saturday at 5:10 p.m. Sunday's 400-lap, 600-mile battle has a 5:40 p.m. EDT starting time and features live coverage by FOX-TV and PRN Radio.

Notes of interest: