Rusty Wallace, Inc.
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Owner(s) Name(s) | Rusty Wallace |
Racing Series | Nationwide Series |
Number of Championships | 0 |
Car Number(s) | #64, #66 |
Driver(s) | David Stremme (#64) Steve Wallace (#66) Chase Austin (Development) |
Primary Sponsor(s) | Atreus Homes And Communities Jimmy John's (#64 and #66) |
Shop Location | Mooresville, North Carolina |
Homepage | Rusty Wallace, Inc. |
Rusty Wallace Incorporated is a NASCAR racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. The team is owned by former NASCAR champion and commentator Rusty Wallace.
RWI Racing fields the #66 car in the Nationwide Series, both sharing sponsorship being Atreus Homes and Jimmy Johns. Currently, the 64 is driven by former Sprint Cup driver David Stremme, and the 66 by Wallace's son Steve. RWI also fields African American development driver Chase Austin.
The team made a manufacturer switch to Chevrolet in 2008 after running Dodges its first four full seasons.
[edit] Team history
RWI was founded in 1984 as Rusty Wallace's marketing firm. RWI as a race team launched in 2004 with Billy Parker as the driver of the #66 Dodge Intrepid in NASCAR's Nationwide Series, with primary sponsor Duraflame. Parker was scheduled to drive in 17 races, however, after finishing only 4 of 8 races he was released. He was replaced by Jamie McMurray, who won the team's first pole on July 24, 2004 at New Hampshire International Speedway and later won the team's first race at Darlington Raceway on November 13, 2004.
In 2005, RWI ran a full 35 race schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. At the request of Duraflame, who switched to sponsor another team, the Dodge Charger was renumbered #64. McMurray shared driving duties with Wallace's former Penske Racing South teammate Jeremy Mayfield and team owner Rusty Wallace. There were three primary sponsors for the #64 car: Miller High Life Light for Mayfield's 13 races; Top-Flite Golf for McMurray's 16 races; and Bell Helicopters and Miller High Life Light for Rusty's 6 races. A second car, #61, was entered with driver Steve Wallace, Rusty's youngest son, at Memphis Motorsports Park on October 23, 2005.
In 2006, McMurray and Steve continued to split driver duties in the #64 Dodge Charger.Top-Flite Golf remained the primary sponsor during McMurray's 20 races, while the Jackson Roscoe Foundation was primary sponsor for most of Steve's 17 races. The team's second car, #61, was driven twice in 2006, both times with Steve at the wheel.
2006 also saw RWI field the #61 Dodge in 9 ARCA RE/MAX Series races, with primary sponsors Nu South Lemonade and Hantz Group. Steve Wallace won 3 races (Kentucky, Chicagoland, and Iowa) and David Stremme won the race at Michigan International Speedway on June 16, 2006 by a lap. In 2007, Steve Wallace was named the full-time driver of the newly-renumbered 66, with Homelife Communities becoming a primary sponsor. Wallace won two poles but finished 19th in points.
The 2008 season will see major changes to the organization. While Steven will again campaign for the Nationwide Series title, RWI will also run the #64 full time, going for the owner's championship, with former NEXTEL Cup driver David Stremme and Max Papis sharing the driving duties. The team will also switch manufacturers to Chevrolet. Chase Austin will remain onboard as a development driver.
[edit] External links
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Chevrolet in NASCAR | ||
Sprint Cup Teams | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Front Row Motorsports | Furniture Row Racing | Haas CNC Racing | Hendrick Motorsports | Richard Childress Racing | |
Nationwide Series Teams | CJM Racing | Day Enterprise Racing | Elite 2 Racing | Front Row Motorsports | Jay Robinson Racing | JD Motorsports | JR Motorsports | Kevin Harvick Incorporated | Mac Hill Motorsports | ML Motorsports | Mac Hill Racing | MSRP Motorsports | Phoenix Racing | Richard Childress Racing | Rusty Wallace, Inc. | SKI Motorsports | |
Craftsman Truck Series Teams | Kevin Harvick Incorporated | Key Motorsports | Morgan-Dollar Motorsports | MRD Motorsports | SS-Green Light Racing | TRG Motorsports | ThorSport Racing | Xpress Motorsports |
Richard Childress Racing | |
Sprint Cup Drivers | Clint Bowyer (#07) | Kevin Harvick (#29) | Jeff Burton (#31) |
Nationwide Series Drivers | Scott Wimmer (#29) |
Driver development program Drivers | Austin Dillon | Ty Dillon | Stephen Leicht | Tim McCreadie |
Partnerships and Affiliations | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Kevin Harvick Incorporated | Morgan-Dollar Motorsports | Rusty Wallace, Inc. | SKI Motorsports |
Other | Richard Childress | Dale Earnhardt |