Wallace interested in 'NASCAR consultant' role

Wallace interested in 'NASCAR consultant' role

By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
August 1, 2005
10:55 AM EDT (14:55 GMT)


In 22 years of full-time racing in NASCAR's premier division, Rusty Wallace has seen and experienced plenty, and he feels that's given him plenty of ideas.

And he thinks, potentially, plenty of solutions.

With only 17 Nextel Cup races left before he leaves the racecar driver's role that's been his livelihood for more than 30 years, Wallace is considering where his future time is going to be spent.

And he's decided he would like to give back to the sport.

At Pocono Raceway two weekends ago, Wallace said that if he were asked, he would serve as a special consultant to NASCAR to solve problems and fix racetracks.

"I haven't had any conversations with [NASCAR]," Wallace said. "But I would definitely be interested in doing it. I want to help this sport grow [and] I see a lot of negative things that I can help on, so we'll see what happens."

Wallace acknowledged that NASCAR has a history of listening to everyone in its garage areas. The sanctioning body has taken Wallace's unofficial "proposal" under advisement.

"It's important for everybody to understand that we take in all the input that's out there already, from as many sources as we can," NASCAR spokesman Herb Branham said. "We'll always consider other options to make the racing better and safer for all of the competitors."

Wallace was adamant that an individual -- not a group of drivers -- was needed to find solutions. He cited NASCAR's success over the last 57 years as the reason for his philosophy.

"I think they need a driver that they can trust, not a committee," Wallace said. "The drivers disagree and they get too many things going on and it screws everything up."

Since William H.G. France formed NASCAR in the late 1940s, the final decision on NASCAR policy has rested with him, his son William C. France and now his grandson, Brian France.

That's fine with Wallace.

"I do like the dictatorship the way it is," Wallace said. "That's the reason NASCAR has worked the way it has -- they make the decisions [they have to] and it's not a committee decision [because] if you had a committee decision you'd never make the progress they have."

Wallace said he sees issues almost on a weekly basis that he could address.

"I think they need to get a key guy who will look at these tracks and help them with changes," Wallace said. "There are things that need to be addressed at the road courses. Sears Point [Infineon Raceway], I'd like to help them with Turn 6 so they can get a better passing zone."

But Wallace's "pet project" when he made his proposal was the job that was done at Pocono in an attempt to correct a rash of left front tire failures that occurred during the June Pocono 500.

When drivers arrived at Pocono in June and began practicing, they found an uneven patch in the Tunnel Turn, and in the race they ran afoul of a sharp-edged curb. Both items, in combination with aggressive set-ups, led to problems.

When the series returned in July they found a new patch and a modified curb and, even though there were virtually no tire problems then, Wallace said the garage area was fired up over the changes.

"This thing here is a disaster," Wallace said the day before the Pennsylvania 500, where he ultimately finished second to Kurt Busch. "I don't know what is going on over there [but] Cheech and Chong designed that thing.

"Someone with more talent than they used needs to fix that thing."

Wallace said a driver -- either himself or someone like him -- has the needed experience to create effective solutions.

"You've got to have some rhyme or reason about how you design things -- you've got to know that when you approach something at 200 miles an hour it looks different, versus coming at it at 20 miles an hour in a street car," Wallace said. "You've got to have some talent -- you've got to have a driver to tell these guys how to do this [and] I think that's where they could use some help on."


Ultimately, that's where Wallace thinks he could help most. He's involved in a new track in the American Midwest with Paxton Waters, whom Wallace said designed speedways in Las Vegas and Fontana, Calif.

"I'm having a good time with my track in Iowa because I'm able to do what I want with all the different things I've seen around the country," Wallace said. "We've got about 28 bulldozers over there right now and the track is taking shape -- it's fully funded, it's reality and it's going down the road rocking and rolling.

"We're in conversations now with sanctioning bodies. I think it's going to be the most beautiful track in the world. It's a 7/8ths-mile with 12-degree banking at the bottom and 14-degree at the top.

"I've looked at all the pit lanes, I looked at the warm up lanes and I looked at the tunnel and how you get to the track. I looked at how you get people in and out, I looked at the hospitality areas and I looked at the most fan-friendly way to do it."

At Pocono Wallace went into great detail of the ways in which he's going to spend his time beginning next season, but wouldn't go into specifics about ideas to help NASCAR grow.

He reiterated that he felt he was the best man for the job, however.

"I don't have a whole laundry list right now in my head, but there are a lot of things," Wallace said. "I think they like me and they trust me and they know when I say something I'm not lying."
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Bill's Comment: I believe that NASCAR would be smart to utilize him for this, or some other driver-related capacity.