Rusty Wallace, NASCAR legend opens up about how fellow drivers convinced him to retire

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace opened up on what led him to make his life’s hardest move: to hang up his racing boots in 2005.

Wallace reflected on going down memory lane of over two-decades and why he made the announcement.

Wallace was guest of honour at the North Wilkesboro Speedway last weekend for the Window World 450 as the grand marshal.

While in conversation with the media pre-race, Wallace revealed about his retirement buzz and said that although he felt he had a few more years in him, he knew “performance was starting to plateau."

“Roger’s like, ‘Rusty, you’ve accomplished most everything. I think it’s you’re making the right decision by stopping," added Wallace.

In the end, Penske and Bill France Jr. (a central figure in NASCAR dynasty) helped make the decision for him.

“And then Bill France Jr. Sat me aside, and he said, ‘I need you. I want you to; there’s a lot of stuff this sport can use you for.

"You don’t need to keep going on. I don’t want to see you get hurt.’ He didn’t want to see me get hurt behind the car,” the 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion recalled.

Wallace, after his retirement, turned to broadcasting.

In 2006, Rust was named Lead Auto Racing Analyst for ABC and ESPN, commenting for the network’s 2006 and 2007 broadcasts of the Indianapolis 500.

He went on to spearhead the network’s NASCAR coverage when it returned in 2007 and stayed in that role until the network dropped the sport after the 2014 season.