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NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
TRUCKS: Wallaces Set To Make History
Mike and Chrissy Wallace are about become the first father‑daughter duo to compete in a national series event...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted October 22, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Chrissy Wallace (Center), her parents Mike Wallace (Right) and Carla Wallace (Left) will all be at the Mountain Dew 250 Fueled by Fred's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Since its early days, NASCAR has always been a family sport, with names like Flock, Allison, Petty, Labonte and Earnhardt featuring racing siblings and/or father-and-son pairs.

Mike Wallace, who already has made plenty of NASCAR history racing brothers Rusty and Kenny, and his daughter Chrissy are about to attempt something that’s never been done in the sport’s long history: Be the first father-daughter pairing to compete in a NASCAR national series event.

The Wallaces are both entered in next week’s Mountain Dew 250 Fueled by Fred's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega Super Speedway. Mike, who has four victories in 113 Truck Series starts, will drive Andy Hillenburg’s No. 48 Chevrolet Silverado, while Chrissy will drive a Rick Ware Racing Chevy.

Both the proud papa and his 21-year-old daughter understandably are looking forward to the opportunity ahead of them.

“I'm looking forward to a good race, as we always would, but looking for all the things that lead up to that event, all the media that has been generated around Chrissy and I in regards to the history‑making event for NASCAR,” said Mike, who finished fifth in this event a year ago. “As we have for many, many years, the Wallace tradition is very long tied to NASCAR as far as my brother Rusty and Kenny and myself and Chrissy and Steven are making a living now, and just really excited about the opportunity to show up there and be part of NASCAR history.”

For her part, Chrissy, finished ninth last year in the ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Talladega, and she’s raring to go at the 2.66-mile superspeedway again.

“The big thing for me is I need to go out there and have a solid practice and learn the track again,” she said. “I've only been able to go there once, but it was with a totally different car. So I'm going to have to go there and learn how to drive the trucks there, which is going to be a little challenge at first, but I think once I get the hang of it and go through practice and everything, we'll be okay, especially if I can go out there and practice with Dad.”

This will be the first time the Wallaces have raced each other since competing in Legends cars a few years back.

“Racing against my Dad, it's something that we've always wanted to do,” said Chrissy. “It's something that means a lot to me, and I think it's a good thing for me and him both, and hopefully I'll wind up beating him.”

And Mike is very careful to point out that the upcoming race is not a publicity stunt.

“This is not a gimmick in any way because the end result, there's been females that have raced before,” he said. “Chrissy, if you study her career, you back it up a couple years ago, she was the first female ever to win a NASCAR series event at the Hickory Motor Speedway in the 56‑year history of the racetrack. She started her career last year at Martinsville finishing 18th in the lead lap. She raced a half a dozen truck races last year, some ARCA races; went to Pocono, qualified fourth out of 50 cars there; finished ninth in an ARCA race.”


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