Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace is an American former stock car racing driver who recorded more than 800 starts in all three NASCAR national divisions between 1990 and 2015. He spent most of the time in the Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity Series, recording 494 starts. He was a race winner nine times – four times in the Busch Series and five times in the Truck Series.

Mike Wallace is a member of famous Wallace racing family, together with his older brother and 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty (born 1956) and younger brother Kenny (born 1963). Mike's daughter Chrissy and son Matt are also active in racing.

Mike Wallace

NASCAR debut in 1990 at the age 31

Michael Samuel Wallace made his NASCAR debut in 1990, driving the #40 Chevrolet for Marc Reno in the last round of the Busch Series at Martinsville Speedway. Starting 24th, he finished sixth.

In 1991, Mike recorded nine Busch Series starts with three different teams/cars but also made the Winston Cup Series debut, driving the #52 Pontiac for Jimmy Means Racing in the last two rounds at Phoenix Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In his Cup Series debut, he raced against brothers Rusty and Kenny, what was the first time since the 1950s that three brothers competed against each other in a Cup Series race.

Mike Wallace in 1994

Three wins in the 1994 Busch Series

In 1992, Wallace spent twelve Busch Series rounds in the #20 Oldsmobile of Moroso Racing, trying also to qualify with the team for Daytona 500. Later in the season he joined Barry Owen's team and stayed with the team in 1993 for the full season in the Busch Series. Wallace and Owen also ran a pair of Cup races in 1993.

Mike Wallace scored his maiden Busch Series victory in June 1994 at Dover Downs International Speedway in Owen Racing's #9 FDP Brakes Chevrolet. Later in the season, he added two more wins at Milwaukee Mile and Indianapolis Raceway Park. Despite three wins, Wallace finished 19th in the points that season.

Mike Wallace scored four Truck Series wins in the #2 Ford F-150

Truck Series debut in 1995, five wins until 2011

Wallace stayed with Owen Racing for two more seasons in the Busch Series, not scoring wins in 1995 and 1996. In 1995, he made a Truck Series debut, driving the #26 Ford for MB Motorsports at North Wilkesboro. He was out of Truck Series in 1996, returned in 1997 and recorded his first full season in 1998, driving the #52 Chevrolet Silverado for Ken Schrader Racing.

In 1998, Wallace joined Jim Smith's Ultra Motorsports in the Truck Series, immediately winning the first race of the season at Homestead-Miami in the #2 Ford F-150. He added one more win later at Pikes Peak Raceway to finish sixth in the points. In 2000, Wallace was again the race winner two times (Daytona and Mesa Marin Raceway), ending the Truck Series season fourth in the points, what remained his career-best finish.

It was Wallace's last full season in the Truck Series. He was returning occasionally until 2011, scoring one more victory in his very last race at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2011, driving the #33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick.

Mike Wallace celebrates winning the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona

One more Busch Series victory in 2004

From 2001, Wallace focused more on the Cup Series and Busch Series. The season 2001 was his first full season in the Winston Cup Series, at the wheel of Ultra Motorsports #7 Chevrolet. For the last eight races of the season, he moved to Penske Racing's #12 Ford Taurus, scoring his career-best finish with second place at Phoenix.

In the Busch Series, Wallace was driving the #4 car for Biagi Brothers Racing from 2001 to 2004, scoring one more victory in July 2004 at Daytona International Speedway.

Mike Wallace recorded more than 800 starts inNASCAR

2005 - last full season in the Winston Cup Series

In 2005, Wallace spent a full season in the Winston Cup Series with Morgan-McClure Motorsports, driving the #4 Chevrolet. His best result was the eighth place at Daytona's Pepsi 400.

It was his last full season in NASCAR's premier division, after that he was focused on the Busch Series until the retirement, occasionally appearing in the Cup Series. In 2007, he finished fourth at Daytona 500 driving for Phoenix Racing.

Mike Wallace was driving for JD Motorsports since 2013

Busch Series regular until the retirement

In the Busch Series, Wallace was driving for a variety of teams in the following years. In 2007, he spent a full season with Phoenix Racing and then with Germain Racing in 2008. Starting with 2009 Nationwide Series season, he was driving the #01 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports until 2013.

It was his last full season in the Nationwide Series. In 2014, he made eleven starts with three teams and then, in 2015, he recorded the last start in NASCAR, driving the #26 Toyota Tundra for JGL Racing in the season-opening race of the Xfinity Series at Daytona International Speedway.

Mike Wallace and daughter Chrissy in 2009

Racing against daughter in the Truck Series race

One of the unusual races in Wallace's schedule of Truck Series races late in a career was his appearance at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2009. He was driving the #48 Chevrolet for Fast Track Racing Enterprises and one of his rivals was his daughter Chrissy Wallace.

It was the first time that a father and daughter raced in the same race. Wallace finished twenty-eighth after an accident and Chrissy finished thirteenth.

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