Days of our lives
It's been a long while since Wallace wasn't rusty
Posted: Wednesday March 19, 2003 1:41 PM
Rusty Wallace will be among the 43 drivers to take the green flag Sunday for the Food City 500 at Bristol. The .533-mile bullring couldn't come at a better time for the struggling former Winston cup champ, who hasn't won since April 29, 2001 -- a streak of 67 races.
However, he does have nine career wins at Bristol, tied with Cale Yarborough and Dale Earnhardt for second all-time behind Darrell Waltrip (12). Wallace has 54 career victories, second among active drivers to Jeff Gordon, but Moby Dick was a minnow the last time Wallace took home a checkered flag.
Still, Wallace insists all is not lost. "Believe it or not, the way the record looks this year, it looks real crappy with the finishes and where I'm at in the points right now," he says. "I tell you what, I think we've got a faster car this year.
"No, I'm not frustrated," contends Wallace. "I'm very determined. I'm driving hard, and I'm determined. I'm not in much of a Mr. Nice Guy mood. I just want to get the wins and the finishes knocked for my team, my sponsors and my partners and get it right. It's getting ridiculous right now."
Well, as long as Rusty brought it up, here's how "ridiculous" it is. Since his last victory, a lot has come and gone:
2001
May -- Wrestling's Vince McMahon folds upstart XFL football league.
June -- Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh executed.
July -- Abner Louima, tortured in New York City police station, agrees to $8.7 million settlement.
August -- Rep. Gary Condit denies involvement in federal government intern Chandra Levy's disappearance.
September -- 9/11
October -- Baltimore's Cal Ripken Jr. plays final game for the Orioles.
November -- Former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison dies at 58.
December -- Enron sets the record for the biggest bankruptcy in American history.
2002
January -- The 70-year Yawkey Era ended when Major League Baseball approved the sale of the Boston Red Sox to John W. Henry's group of investors for $700 million.
February -- Canadian figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier awarded co-gold medals at Winter Olympics, joining judges' winners Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidzek of Russia.
March -- Andrea Yates found guilty of drowning her five children. A Houston jury rejects her claim of insanity.
April -- Actor Robert Blake arrested on murder charge death of wife Bonnie Lee Bakley.
May -- Chandra Levy's body is found. A passer-by and his dog find the remains in a Washington, D.C., park more than a year after Levy was reported missing.
June -- Longtime St. Louis broadcaster Jack Buck dies after lengthy illness. Less than a week later, Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in his Chicago hotel room. Also, Detroit defeats Carolina to win the Stanley Cup. Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman, with a record nine NHL championships, retires after the final game.
July -- Boston's Ted Williams, the last major leaguer to hit .400 in a season, dies.
August -- After WorldCom files for bankruptcy and reveals billions in accounting fraud in July (eclipsing Enron as the largest bankruptcy filed in U.S. history), former company CFO Scott Sullivan is arrested. A week later, WorldCom uncovers $3.3 billion more in phony accounting.
September -- Pete Sampras wins his 14th Grand Slam tennis tournament, taking home his fifth U.S. Open title with a victory against Andre Agassi.
October -- Sniper kills 14 people and injures seven as the nation's capital, Maryland and Virginia are terrorized for three weeks.
November -- George Bush becomes first Republican president since Dwight Eisenhower to have majorities in both the Senate and the House.
December -- During a birthday celebration for 100-year-old South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott says America would be a better place today if Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential campaign had succeeded.
2003
January -- Tampa Bay wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson declares, "I'm deciding right here and now that I'm not talking to reporters -- even the ones I like -- for the rest of my career." ... His embargo lasts two days.
February -- The NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta draws more than 100,000 people and causes traffic gridlock. Overflow crowds force several large shopping centers to shut down.
March -- Rusty Wallace sits in 20th place -- 236 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. His average finish for the year: 20th. His average finish in three March races: 24th.
"It's probably the biggest hole I've ever been in in my life going into there [Bristol]," Wallace admits. "There are a lot of reasons for it. I brought a couple of mistakes on myself. I got way too aggressive. ... The only thing I'm real proud of right now is the car is strong. It's got incredible horsepower. It's getting down the straightaways good.
"We're qualifying pretty good this year. It's just a matter of time before we get the rhythm back going. I am looking at the points already. I know we're only like 40 or something like that out of the top 10. [Actually, it's 51 points.] Now I've got to get back up there and get myself up to the front."
So go the days of our lives.
B. Duane Cross is a senior producer for SI.com.
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