Kenny Wallace

Kenneth Wallace
Wallace with his wife Kim in 2001
Born	August 23, 1963 (1963-08-23) St. Louis, Missouri
Awards	1986 ASA Rookie of the Year 1989 Busch Series Rookie of the Year 1991, 1994, and 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Most Popular Driver
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
344 races run over 18 years
Car no., team	No. 09 (RAB Racing)
2008 position	61st
Best finish	22nd – 1999
First race	1990 First Union 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Last race	2008 AMP Energy 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 27 3
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
522 races run over 22 years
Car no., team	No. 09 (RAB Racing)
2011 position	7th
Best finish	2nd – 1991
First race	1988 Advance Auto 150 (Martinsville)
First win	1991 Spring 200 (Volusia County)
Last win	2001 Sam's Club 200 (Rockingham)
Wins Top tens Poles 9 170 10
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
11 races run over 4 years
2008 position	86th
Best finish	34th – 1996
First race	1995 Goody's 150 (Martinsville)
Last race	2008 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 4 0
Statistics current as of November 23, 2011.

Kenneth Wallace (born August 23, 1963) is an American stock car driver who currently drives the #09 Family Farmers/University of Northwestern Ohio/Federated Auto Parts/American Ethanol/Iowa Corn/G-Oil/Marquis Energy Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In addition, he works as an on-air personality for SPEED on NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane.

Early life

Wallace is the youngest of three brothers born to Russ and Judy Wallace. Russ was a prolific race winner himself, which made him unpopular with fans. Wallace earned his nickname, "Herman," early in life when Lake Hill Speedway promoter Bob Miller made note of Wallace's boisterous behavior when taking up for his father, likening him to the mischievous cartoon character Herman the German. He went to Fox High School in Arnold, MO.

Wallace began his racing career by working as a mechanic on his father's race cars and brother's team. He entered his first race, the Illinois Street Stock State Championship, in 1982, winning the event. This victory sparked Wallace's driving career, and he entered the American Speed Association in 1986, achieving Rookie of the Year honors in the series.

Early Busch career

In September 1988, Dale Earnhardt gave Wallace the seat for his first-ever NASCAR start, in which he finished eleventh in the Busch Series race at Martinsville Speedway, driving the #8 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet. The following year, he raced the full Busch Series schedule in a car owned by brother Rusty Wallace, sponsored by Cox Treated Lumber earning the 1989 Rookie of the Year award and finishing sixth in driver point standings. In 1990, he made his Winston Cup debut at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the #36 Pontiac for Randy Cox, finishing 26th after a late-race crash. He finished seventh in the Busch Series. The following season, he won his first two career races and finished a career-best second in the Busch points, and subbed for Kyle Petty in two races in the Cup series. At the Pyroil 500, he competed against his brothers Mike and Rusty, marking the first time since Bob, Fonty, and Tim Flock raced that three brothers competed in the same race. In 1992, Dirt Devil became his sponsor and he won his third Busch race of his career, but several mechanical problems forced him down to sixth in points.

1993–2000

In 1993, Wallace moved up to the Winston Cup Series full-time, driving the #40 Dirt Devil Pontiac Grand Prix for SABCO Racing. The team got a considerable amount of television time as the team was featured on the TV Show What Would You Do?. He had three top-tens and a twenty-third place points finish, but lost his ride at the end of the season. He returned to the Busch Series to drive the #8 TIC Financial Systems Ford for FILMAR Racing. He picked up three wins and finished fourth in points. Towards the end of the season, he was hired by Robert Yates Racing to replace the injured Ernie Irvan in the Cup series. In twelve races, he finished in the top-ten three times. In 1995, Wallace and FILMAR split time between the Cup and Busch Series. Wallace had one win with the Red Dog Ford in the Busch Series, and made eleven starts in the Cup Series in the #81 car.

Wallace and FILMAR began racing in Cup full-time 1996 with funding from Square D. They had two top-ten finishes and a twenty-eighth place points finish. The following season, he won two poles, at Bristol and Martinsville respectively, but fell five spots in the standings. Despite seven top-tens in 1998, Wallace and Square D left FILMAR to drive Andy Petree Racing's new #55 entry. Wallace finished in the top-ten five times and had a career-best twenty-second place finish in points. After only one top-ten in 2000 and a 26th place finish in the points, he departed the team. The sole top-ten came in his second place finish to Dale Earnhardt, in the then Winston 500 (now UAW Ford 500) which was Earnhardt's final victory. Wallace pushed Earnhardt to the front in four laps to the lead.

From 2001

In 2001, Wallace signed with the unsponsored Eel River Racing team, and also was hired to drive the #48 Goulds Pumps Chevy in the Busch Series full-time for Innovative Motorsports. After several DNQ's, Wallace resigned from the team to concentrate on his Busch ride. He won his first race in seven years at North Carolina Speedway and finished tenth in points. He also filled in for Steve Park in the Cup Series, winning one pole and nailing down two top-tens, including a second-place finish at Rockingham Speedway, tying a career best. He did not win in 2002, but moved up to seventh in the Busch series standings in the #48 Chevrolet now sponsored by Stacker 2. He replaced a suspended Kevin Harvick at Martinsville and was hired late in the season by Bill Davis Racing to replace Hut Stricklin in the #23 Hills Brothers Coffee Dodge, and was hired to drive the car full-time in 2003, bringing his Stacker 2 sponsorship with him and continuing to drive in the Busch Series for Davis. After one top-ten finish, Wallace and the team moved down to the Busch Series in 2004, garnering ten top-ten finishes. He also drove in the Cup Series five times for Michael Waltrip Racing.

In 2005, Davis Racing closed its Busch team, allowing Wallace and sponsor Stacker 2 to join ppc Racing's #22 Ford, earning five top-fives and eleven top-tens. During that season Wallace's team lost sponsorship when Stacker 2 backed out of NASCAR, and drove for the rest of his time with ppc Racing driving the #22 AutoZone Ford. He began driving for Furniture Row Racing in the Cup Series that season, and ran seventeen races with them in 2006. After four top-tens in 2006, Furniture Row began racing full-time in Cup, so Wallace to left ppc.

Despite getting voted into the All-Star Race at Charlotte, Wallace was unable to keep the #78 in the top-35 in owner's points, and left the team in August. On August 22, 2007 he filled in for Kyle Petty in the 45 Wells Fargo Dodge at Bristol. Shortly after that drove as a sub for the injured Ricky Rudd in the #88 Snickers Ford Fusion until Rudd returned.

Wallace attempted to qualify for the 2008 Daytona 500 in a second car for Furniture Row Racing, the #87 Denver Mattress Chevrolet. Wallace finished eighth in the first Duel at Daytona, making the 50th Daytona 500. Wallace was black flagged in the Daytona 500 for failure to maintain the NASCAR-required speed and he finished last. Wallace drove for Armando Fitz early in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season before switching to the #28 for Jay Robinson. Between the 2008, 2009, and 2010 seasons, Wallace finished in the top-ten three times, He left Jay Robinson and joined RAB Racing, driving without a paycheck in exchange for getting to drive competitive equipment. Wallace has recorded 11 top-ten finishes in 2011, with a best finish of fifth at Richmond. In October, he announced that he will return to the team in 2012, along with all of his sponsors. He also hinted that he might retire from racing after the 2012 season.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2012, RAB Racing announced that Wallace would be attempting to qualify for the 2012 Daytona 500, driving a No. 09 Toyota Camry, sponsored by American Ethanol.

Personal life

Wallace is a member of a large racing family. Wallace's father, Russ, was a prolific winner on Midwestern short tracks in the 1960s and 1970s. Kenny and his older brothers, Rusty Wallace and Mike Wallace, followed in their father's footsteps. Rusty is the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion and winner of 55 Cup Series races. Mike is a winner of four Nationwide Series and four Camping World Truck Series races. Rusty's son, Steve Wallace, is a current Nationwide Series driver, and Mike's daughter, Chrissy Wallace, has participated in multiple Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series races.

Wallace is married to Kim and has three daughters, Brooke, Brandy, and Brittany. Wallace and his family reside in Concord, North Carolina.

Images

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  1997 racecar

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  Kenny Wallace in the #22 car at Bristol in 2006

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  Kenny Wallace's #78 car at NHIS in 2006

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  2008 Cup car at Daytona

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  2009 Nationwide car at Milwaukee

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  2010 Nationwide car at Road America

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  2011 Nationwide car at Road America

External links

• Official website
• Kenny Wallace at Racing Reference
• Kenny Wallace at NASCAR.com

Achievements
Preceded by None	NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year 1989	Succeeded by Joe Nemechek