#2-Rusty Wallace was inducted into the Goodyear Legends of Daytona area inside Daytona International Speedway’s FanZone and never took off his sunglasses during the presentation Saturday morning. “I was having a tough time up there on stage,” Wallace said. “They were laying out my stats and all the things I’ve done. I’m glad I had on my sunglasses because my eyes filled up after all that.” Wallace said today’s Daytona 500 will be business as usual when he starts 36th on the grid and begins to grind his way through the field. This will be his last 500 start as he begins the “Rusty’s Last Call” tour before he retires following the 2005 season. Wallace announced his retirement plans last season in a news conference at the Speedway because he says Daytona is the center of the stock car racing universe. The Pepsi Theater in Daytona USA was packed with family, fans, officials and media that day. At the start of Speed Weeks, Wallace gave a television interview and wondered outloud if he had made the right decision. “Yeah, I waffled a little bit and tossed it back and forth, but I don’t want to confuse my fans — I am retiring,” he said. “I’m not going to close the door entirely. If I want to come back and help my son practice his car, or test for Penske Racing, I’ll do that. I’m not going to actively come back and run the Nextel Cup Series.” He does have one race on his 2006 schedule. Wallace plans to run in the Rolex 24 at Daytona sportscar race, the annual Speed Weeks kickoff event.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-20-2005)
