One of the greatest short-track racers in NASCAR history will help usher in a new chapter of excitement on July 19 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Rusty Wallace being named the Grand Marshal of the Window World 450.
Wallace, who won three points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races at the iconic Wilkes County track in a sterling career that spanned from 1980-2005, will join Window World executives in giving the command to start engines prior to North Wilkesboro’s first points-paying Cup Series race since 1996.
“It’s an honor to be named the Grand Marshal at North Wilkesboro,“ Wallace said. “Wilkesboro’s a track that played a big role in the early history of our sport and it’s great to see what Marcus Smith and the group at Speedway Motorsports have done to bring it back to life. It’s also a place where I had a lot of success as a driver.
“I have so many great memories there of battles with guys like Dale Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine. I’m looking forward to adding to those memories next month.”
The St. Louis, Missouri, native captured the spring Cup Series race at NWS in 1988 and swept both Cup Series events at the five-eighths-mile oval in 1993. In 1989, Wallace won the NASCAR Cup Series championship driving the No. 27 Pontiac for Blue Max Racing. From 1991 to his retirement in 2005, Wallace drove the iconic No. 2 machine for Team Penske, where he captured the majority of his 55 career Cup Series victories.
“Since re-opening North Wilkesboro to NASCAR in 2023, we’ve had the humble privilege to honor many of the most historic figures in our sport,” said North Wilkesboro Speedway Executive Director Graig Hoffman.
“Rusty Wallace is one of the best short track racers to ever get behind the wheel and one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers, champions and broadcasters. We look forward to celebrating Rusty and his illustrious career with a return to North Wilkesboro for the Window World 450.”
Wallace’s appointment as Grand Marshal adds even more star power to a highly anticipated, action-packed weekend of racing that features:
- a zMAX CARS Tour doubleheader (Late Model Stock Skyline National Bank 100 and Pro Late Model Spears Manufacturing 75) on Friday, July 17
- the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ FaithFest 250 presented by Mercer Transportation; a 250-lap duel under the sun on Saturday, July 18
- a rocking Pre-Race Concert presented by Raymer Oil, featuring multi-platinum country music hit-makers Sawyer Brown, prior to the NASCAR Cup Series’ Window World 450 under the lights on Sunday, July 19
North Wilkesboro’s showpiece race weekend builds on the excitement of a remarkable reopening in 2022 that preceded three NASCAR All-Star Races – won by Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Christopher Bell – from 2023-’25.
Prior to the July 19 Window World 450, the most recent points-paying Cup Series race at NWS took place in September of 1996.
Window World 450 tickets, camping and race-day upgrades – including Pre-Race Track Passes – can be purchased online at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com. Fans can also purchase tickets directly at Wilkes County IGA Fairvalue Marketplace or Raymer Oil locations with no online taxes or fees.