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03-13-2008, 02:52 PM
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Wildman
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by Lee Spencer
Lee Spencer is a senior NASCAR writer for FOXSports.com. While most 19-year-olds are acclimating to college life, Chrissy Wallace is mapping out her own course work. Although Wallace's greatest test to date will come on Wednesday with Germain Racing at Martinsville Speedway, the extracurricular activities that many scholar athletes use to chart career paths aren't much different than Wallace's. She started playing softball at five and played at the AAU, USSSA and varsity high school level. She added rec hoops in middle school and competed on her high school basketball team. She was offered "three different full-ride scholarships to college," but her true passion — racing — superseded all stick and ball aspirations. With every step up the racer ranks — from Bandoleros then Legends and finally to Late Model Stocks — came added responsibility and a greater depth of knowledge for Wallace. Networking was a key component, but in racing, the internships were a lot tougher to come by. First, a driver needs a strong mentor. Wallace has a slew of choices stemming from her journeyman racer father Mike, her Cup-racing uncles Rusty (a former champion) and Kenny, and grandfather Russ, who won many track championships in the clan's home state of Missouri. But she has always been a daddy's girl. "Growing up, I remember watching my dad race at short tracks and just wanting to cheer for him and walk around with him," Wallace said. "We still have pictures from my mom holding me on top of the race hauler and me sleeping on the trailer during his race. There are so many memories from pictures that we have of me and my dad like sitting in his car, going around the track with him in the truck before the race, praying together before the race and always saying I love you, good luck and giving him a kiss. "No matter where my dad finished, I was always proud of him and always wanted to be like him the more and more I raced. He is a really good driver but he has never gotten the chances like his other brothers have." Secondly, a driver needs funding. Most NASCAR kids' parents can underwrite the early motorsports stages like go-karts, Bandoleros and Legends cars without flinching. But once a budding racer graduates to the more-competitive ranks, the cost of racing rises exponentially. Wallace's talent caught the eye of several scouts, including two-time Cup champ Tony Stewart. And that was before she became the first woman in the 57-year history of Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway to win a feature. Overall, she won four times in 17 races and finished third in the Late Model point standings.  "Smoke decided to come aboard on the late-model program because of a general conversation about talking about sponsorship for my Legend cars and it just started from there," Wallace said. "He has helped out on the Late Model, Thunder Roadster and Legend car. If it wasn't for Tony, there is no telling what or where I would be racing. He has helped me up a lot and I look up to him for that. "People think Tony is a bad guy with a bad personality, but honestly he is one of the best drivers, best sponsors and a person you want to have on your side. He is always texting me or telling me congrats or I'm texting him wishing him good luck or congrats. But also he has become a big part of our family. He is always hanging out with us and talking to us when he can." There's no other Sprint Cup driver that does more for grassroots racing than Smoke.  Whether it's as a team or track owner, Stewart's support is widespread. For the last four years, the two-time Cup champ has sponsored her car and will test Wallace on March 25-26 in a Midget Car at Southern National Speedway in Kinley, N.C. "Mike and I have been good friends for a long time, and as Chrissy's career has grown, we thought it would be a good idea to at least get her in a (USAC) Midget and let her get some time in something else other than a stock car, just to help her become more versatile in the way she drives," Stewart said. "The team is going to be testing in North Carolina, so we thought it would be a great opportunity at the beginning of the season while we're down there to get her some laps in the car." Despite all the early support Wallace has received, a driver needs that big break. For Wallace, in addition to Stewart underwriting a portion of her racing and sponsorship from Smith Transport and Lucas Oil, Germain Racing, who fields a Nationwide Car for Mike Wallace and a Craftsman Truck for former series' champion Tood Bodine, will test the younger Wallace at Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday in anticipation of her first career CTS start on March 29. "My dad was talking to Germain about a Nationwide deal," Wallace said. "They were big about trying to get a development team and saw that it was a good opportunity to have a female and a father/daughter on the same team. "I am running for Toyota and they have agreed to do the five truck races and five ARCA races and possibly a full ride for Toyota and Germain for 2009." The test follows a successful practice Wallace had last year with Germain Caraway (Asheboro, N.C.) Speedway. Her father Mike, knows firsthand the caliber of Germain Racing's equipment. Although his daughter has had other offers, the confidence Wallace has in the cars he drives was one the main reasons he suggested she accept this opportunity. Despite being her father, he's not surprised that Chrissy's career has advanced to the next step. "It went very well and they were impressed with how she did — and if the (Martinsville) test goes well and she has the speed that she needs they are going to go back and enter her in the truck race on March 29," Mike Wallace said. "All of us involved — myself, the Germain family, (GM) Mike Hillman — the one uniqueness my daughter Chrissy has is that she is a young female. "If she can run competitively with all the guys, like she does now and has for the last eight years now, then it's a great deal for the organization in regards to sponsorship opportunities and exposure for the organization. Bob (Germaine) and the team have been good enough to say, 'Let's go make something happen.' " Like any Wallace, Chrissie's competitive nature and ability will help carry her through this next exercise. Wallace feels what differentiates her from other females that have previously attempted this track is the quality of her equipment, her patience in gaining experience and shadowing her father long enough to understand the complexities of the sport and the gravity of this moment and the importance of testing. "We will be doing a lot of testing so I have more seat time and the team is not rushing me into any races that I don't want to run," Wallace said. "I have learned so much from Dad about the ups and downs of racing, I realize that you only got one shot and if you mess that up then you may never get another one. "My goal is to end up in Sprint Cup and become the first successful female driver who wins rookie of the year and the championship. Honestly, if it wasn't for my mom (Carla) and my dad, I would have never had the chance to race or have the faith in myself like I do. My dad has always came to races when he could, but my mom was at every race I have ran. She has been my biggest fan. Luckily, she was there for my every win in my late-model race this year and that means a lot because that's a memory I can cherish." |
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03-15-2008, 06:04 PM
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Member
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it is Mike Wallace's daughter. She has been running legend cars and thunder roadsters. This past year she was in a late model racing at Hickory. I think she MIGHT have won one....but not a 100%. Around here it is kinda split. Most people don't like her, cuz of her attitude. She didn't impress me at all, since all it seemed to me as she wrecked people to get a position. Now the thunder roadsters not very many of the run...like 4, so if you look up and she has won a lot there....don't get to excited.
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03-15-2008, 07:59 PM
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#8 |
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Member
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