Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC (RWR), formerly known as Rusty Wallace, Inc. (RWI) was a NASCAR racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near Charlotte. Owned by former NASCAR Winston Cup champion and commentator Rusty Wallace, the team competed primarily in the Xfinity Series (formerly the Busch and Nationwide Series) with Wallace's younger brother Kenny Wallace and son Steve Wallace.
On January 6, 2012, Rusty Wallace that the team would go on a temporary hiatus after being unable to find sponsorship. The team returned to the Nationwide Series with Steven Wallace in 2012 at Richmond for a single race. The team made its final Nationwide Series start in 2013 with Steve Wallace behind the wheel.
Rusty Wallace Racing continues to operate, fielding super late models for Steve Wallace in the CARS series and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
Team history
RWI was founded in 1984 as Rusty Wallace's marketing firm. It began fielding racecars in 1985, with Wallace driving the No. 66 Oldsmobile. He won a pole in his first race at Daytona International Speedway, and ran three more races that season, which included two consecutive top-fives. He ran three races in 1986 and 1988, and had four top-tens with sponsorship from Alugard and Kodiak.
Beginning with the 1989 season, Wallace began fielding the No. 36 Cox Treated Lumber Pontiac for his youngest brother Kenny. He would win three poles and had sixteen top-ten finishes, and was named Rookie of the Year in addition to his sixth-place points finish. After a winless 1990, he earned his first career victory at Volusia County Speedway, followed by another win later in the year at New Hampshire International Speedway, allowing him to finish a career-best 2nd in points. In 1992, Dirt Devil became the team's new sponsor, and Wallace had just one win and fell to sixth in points. After Kenny's promotion to the Winston Cup series, the team shut down.
RWI returned to competition in 2004, operating as many as three teams out of its headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina. Following the 2011 season, the team ceased operations due to lack of sponsorship to run competitively, laying off many employees and selling half of its equipment. The downsized team returned part-time for 2012 and 2013, with equipment purchased from Roush Fenway Racing.
