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Field of dreams

Of the 43 drivers, Brickyard victory will ease Wallace's pain

Posted: Tuesday July 29, 2003 11:30 AM

It's been a long time coming, this Winston Cup victory. There are many miles, a lot of heartaches, a few missed opportunities -- and too many losses since that last visit to Victory Lane.

Now Indianapolis looms, the crown jewel of a career that still does not include the Daytona 500 checkers, but a victory that would certainly be a defining moment. Twelve-plus years removed from his only Winston Cup championship, a victory at Indy would -- even for a week -- put Rusty Wallace back among the sport's elite. Never mind that his last win was in April 2001, 82 long, grueling races ago.

The Brickyard has been cruel during the past nine years; Wallace has posted three runner-up finishes and eight top-10s. The kiss of the tire-worn 3-foot strip of brick at the finish line has been teasing his lips. Instead, the bitter sapidity of defeat lingers in his mouth.

Hittin' the Bricks
Rusty Wallace at Indy
Year	Start	Finish
2002	35	2
2001	37	4
2000	10	2
1999	17	8
1998	14	8
1997	43	38
1996	17	7
1995	24	2
1994	12	3
Avg.	23	8

2002 -- With 10 laps remaining, Bill Elliott got under Wallace down the backstretch and completed the winning pass in Turn 3. Even though a late caution for debris set up a four-lap shootout to the finish, Elliott pulled away on the restart.

2000 -- On lap 146, Bobby Labonte bumped his way around Wallace, who had led 110 of the first 145 laps; the 110 laps led gave Wallace the Brickyard 400 record for the most by a non-winner.

1995 -- As Wallace pulled away from his pit and headed for the track, Rich Bickle ran into the rear of Joe Nemechek's car. Wallace evaded the mishap, but once back on the track could only watch as Dale Earnhardt made the race-winning pass with 30 laps left. Wallace did manage to hold off Dale Jarrett as the three front-runners raced the last 10 laps separated by about 1 1/2 seconds.

There have been recent signs of life by Wallace; he led three times Sunday for 23 laps at Pocono before finishing 11th. It was the first time since the MBNA 400 on June 1 that he led a race. But Sunday won't be about being in front when the green flag flies to start the 160-lap race. It won't even be about taking the point for a majority of those laps; the driver who led the most laps has won only five of 20 races this year.

No, Sunday will be about leading the last lap, the one that counts -- from a checkbook standpoint, and from a historical perspective. Not that the money matters (he's won $1,697,250 at the track), but to hoist the silver brick ... not even a platinum AmEx card could buy him that.

While the sting of three second-place finishes runs deep within, those losses -- there's one winner and 42 losers on this stage -- were to Earnhardt, Labonte and Elliott, winners of nine Cup championships.

Only two drivers, Jeff Gordon and Jarrett, have won multiple times at Indianapolis. Between them, they have five victories in nine years. Ricky Rudd, Labonte and Elliott look to join that elite group.

For 54-time winner Rusty Wallace, all he wants is one more. With victories at Atlanta, Bristol, California, Charlotte, Dover, Martinsville, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Wilkesboro, Phoenix, Pocono, Richmond, Riverside, Rockingham, Sonoma and Watkins Glen on his resumé, Indianapolis is his next opportunity to stave off the march of Father Time.

One victory.

One Brickyard.

A fitting tribute to the perseverance it takes to beat the bricks.

B. Duane Cross is a senior producer for SI.com.

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