According to the story, team owner Rusty Wallace said that he'd like to make the move in 2010, but that a lot of things would have to line up for it to happen -- like equipment, sponsorship and other necessities.
But doesn't it seem a little perplexing that the former Sprint Cup champ would want to move an organization that has one total win in Nationwide Series competition to NASCAR's top level?
UPDATE: Rusty Wallace released a statement Wednesday morning denying that he plans to make a return to NASCAR in 2009.
"I love Kenny to death; he's been trying to get me back in a car ever since I retired after 2005. While any rumors like this are certainly flattering, they're untrue. I have a long-term commitment to ABC and ESPN and I really love what I'm doing right now," said Wallace in a statement.
To me, this whole deal seems pretty bizarre, especially given that Rusty's brother put out the rumor. I have a feeling there might be more to this story than what meets the eye, but for now, it appears to be dead in the water.
"Six different crew members came up to me and said they'd heard a rumor Rusty was coming back to drive for [Dale Earnhardt Inc]," said Wallace in the article. "These rumors get started in the Mooresville [N.C.] area because the [NASCAR team] shops are so close to each other and nothing can be kept secret for long. All I can say is that where there's smoke, there's fire. And he is definitely considering stepping back into a race car."
Rusty, who retired in 2005 after 25 seasons in NASCAR with 55 career wins, currently works as an analyst for ESPN and owns two Nationwide Series cars, one of which is driven by his son Steven.
I'm having a tough time not believing what Kenny said in the article for the sheer fact that he is Rusty's brother, and that that would seemingly prevent Wallace for spreading untrue rumors.
FanHouse's Geoffrey Miller is on-location at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Sunday's 15th Running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
It's Saturday morning in Indianapolis, and after forgetting my parking tag on the way in this morning, I have finally made my way to the media center here at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
With that, let's get started on some news and notes from Friday afternoon at the Brickyard: Rusty & Ryan Still Don't Like Each Other
Rusty Wallace must not be a fan of Ryan Newman, even after all these years. The two drivers had a lukewarm relationship at best while they were teammates, and Rusty decided to pile on some more bad blood Friday at IMS.
Newman said he left Penske Racing on mutual terms but Rusty says not say fast:
"He didn't leave. I've read many, many stories that said that,'' Wallace said. "Roger Penske called Ryan Newman up to his offices and said 'I don't need your services next year.' Ryan Newman didn't come to him and say 'I'm leaving.'''
Now why Rusty feels its imperative that he rag on Newman is beyond me, and apparently Ryan feels the same way. You can read more about the "He Said, He Said" battle here.
I wonder how happy ESPN (Rusty's employer) is about their driver analyst ripping on a driver that is racing in the same series they will be covering on Sunday? They can't be too pleased.
Roush Doesn't See McMurray Coming Back, Apparently
Well, a lot of things have happened since then, but one thing is for sure. TGOM was right.
From the ESPN mouth itself:
Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and one of the founding drivers of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will expand his role with ESPN and join high school friends Dr. Jerry Punch and Andy Petree in the booth for ESPN¿s full season of NASCAR coverage in 2008.
Rusty Wallace, NASCAR Cup champion in 1989, will become lead analyst for ESPN studio programs in 2008, highlighted by serving as analyst for an enhanced NASCAR Countdown, the program that precedes all NASCAR telecasts.
I know I'm very, very satisfied with this move. What about you?
There was plenty of anti-ESPN sentiment through the end of 2007, though former-driver-turned-broadcaster Wallace shouldn't take all of the blame. Regardless, fans were by and far unhappy with some of Wallace's on-air thoughts, there seemed to be some occasional in-fighting amongst last year's ESPN team with Rusty, and, to me at least, Wallace just didn't have "it" when it came to working a race on TV.
So now, we'll get Wallace nearly every night on ESPN2's NASCAR Now as a lead analyst and as an infield studio reporter during races. I think I can handle that.
The booth changes, though, are just the start of many, many changes in the ESPN NASCAR telecasts in 2008, including:
We've heard plenty about "Coltgate" lately and the accusations that the Indianapolis Colts had pumped in crowd noise during the New England Patriots game two weeks ago.
Judging from the TV I watched it on (ABC-HD with surround sound), it sounded to me like ESPN on ABC was definitely pumping in some crowd noise during each restart of last Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500. Take a listen for yourself on the video below, as there are several instances that you can hear the not-too-natural noises.
Take note at 1:30, 5:48, 8:24, and 9:30 on the video, then continue reading for more.
I understand completely that the YouTube video isn't exactly the highest quality, but on the other hand, I've been to my fair share of races. People just don't cheer like that during restarts. Here's what they do cheer for:
Dude got shoved into a segment on ESPN2's NASCAR Now showing ESPN's impressive NASCAR coverage. Or, well, I hope he got shoved into it.
Before I rip the whole segment apart, let me allow Jeff Burton, ESPN's token driver voice for their coverage to do so as he did in the video:
"Well the first word that comes to mind is absurd. The first goal of racing is to be there at the end. This system would award people and reward people for doing things that actually would hamper the way they would finish the race," said Burton.
"So it makes no sense -- you used the worst example in the world at Talladega to expose a problem, when in fact, we don't have this problem at most race tracks. So you have to run toward the front, you have to run hard in order to be competitive at almost every race track with the exception of Talladega. So, in a word, I think it's absurd."
Amen, Jeff.
For me, this whole segment (with a nice after-touch of Judge Judy) shows why ESPN and NASCAR fans haven't exactly gotten along this season.
Is it wrong that we keep picking on Rusty Wallace, Brad and Suzie, et. al. on ESPN? Heck no! They're the ones who've got the rights to the NASCAR action at the moment and the ones we have to put up with right now. It just so happens they also suck the most.
What did we learn during ESPN's Atlanta broadcast? Rusty can't say Truex. Not like it's hard ... Sounds like: TRUE-EX. Not like: TUR-EX or TRUR-EX or whatever it was he was saying--I can't even replicate the sound.
Oh, we also learned that Teresa Earnhardt isn't dead. Thanks for the tip. Only three more races to go, race fans. Three more. Maybe by mid-season next year we'll have something good to talk about.
Ok ... so maybe ESPN is the worst ... or maybe they're just the worst right now because that's what we're dealing with. They all have their moments of less-than-stellar commentary--even Speed, as highlighted by Michael Waltrip in the above video.
Guess what, fans? ESPN really does listen to us! Or ... maybe they just listen to their own broadcasts and realize how painful they are all on their own.
Rusty Wallace is out! Out I say! Done deal. My source actually used the word "fired!"
I'll tell ya what ... I don't care if he was fired, quit or otherwise. I'd just like to wish him good riddance. One Answer this... reader suggests that ESPN will shift Wallace back to the IRL booth. Good for him--they can have him.
Wallace will be replaced by the retiring Dale Jarrett, who drove circles around his fellow former champion in the booth this season.
Never thought I'd say it .. Thank you, ESPN!
Update: Daly Planet has also received a confirmation that Rusty is out.
Update: Official Comment from ESPN
"Rusty Wallace is our guy. We have a long-term contract with him. He's the voice of NASCAR on ESPN." NORBY WILLIAMSON – ESPN Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production
That's disappointing. I should like to withdrawal my thanks and hope that Mr. Williamson is just saying that 'cause he has to and that he'll be telling us something different at a later date.
Tony Stewart couldn't have been happier than to race one of his very close friends for the win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His very close friend Kevin Harvick ... not so much.
Stewart says he raced Harvick with respect:
"I work really hard because if I'm going to preach about give and take, it's stupid for me to not do the same thing. If I want people to race me with respect, I'm going to race people with respect. Like I said, I didn't mean to get into Kevin. That wasn't my intention. I didn't have to do that. That could have screwed me up, could have cut a tire down more than it would have accomplished to get into him. There was no logical reason to get into him. That was a mistake on my part."
Take that, everyone who says Stewart never admits when he's wrong. Of course, we have to wonder if he'd be so forthcoming with the acknowledgment if it was his fender that got caved in.
"If you don't have heartfelt sympathy for Rusty Wallace, you must be a robot." ~ Luke, Thunder Lounge
I must be a robot, because I don't feel this heartfelt sympathy for Rusty "I'll tell ya what" Wallace ... Not because "his heart has to be breaking inside as he watches his son grow on the track." At least not this week.
I snoozed through most of the Busch race Saturday, but I did manage to catch the first caution brought out by Steve Wallace ... And yes, my first thought was, what a surprise ... And by then, ESPN had already overdosed me on the Wallace family outing, so I figured I was going to be annoyed with just about anything Rusty was going to have to say about his son's crash. He did not disappoint.
One of the bigger stories of the weekend's Nationwide Series activities at Nashville Superspeedway, thanks to the fine folks over at Scene Daily, involved a potential move of Rusty Wallace Inc.'s two teams to Sprint Cup in 2010.
UPDATE: Rusty Wallace released a statement Wednesday morning denying that he plans to make a return to NASCAR in 2009.
It's Saturday morning in Indianapolis, and after forgetting my parking tag on the way in this morning, I have finally made my way to the media center here at the legendary 
So do you remember when 
Guess what, fans? ESPN really does listen to us! Or ... maybe they just listen to their own broadcasts and realize how painful they are all on their own.
