WALLACE SUPPORTS ROAD COURSE RACING IN CUP SERIES
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Schedule

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 6, 2002) -- When it comes to the composition of the NASCAR Winston Cup schedule, Rusty Wallace is a true believer in the old adage that variety is the spice of life.

While other competitors, the media and fans alike may question whether road course competition should hold a spot on the world's premier stock car racing schedule, Wallace is quick to support the current two road course races that include this weekend's stop at Watkins Glen International in New York.

"I'll tell you what, I'm a big supporter of Winston Cup road racing and it's not just because we've done so well on the road courses through the years," offered Wallace, a six-time road course winner and two-race winner at the Watkins Glen track. "When you look at some of the tracks we run on now where there's not the greatest of competition, there is a big need for what the road courses offer.

"You hear 'em talking about all the cookie-cutter type tracks we're racing on.well there's nothing cookie-cutter about the road courses, that's for sure," said Wallace, whose Watkins Glen record also sports seven top-five finishes, nine top-10 finishes and one pole position in his 16 races there. "We only have two road course events and they're pretty well spread apart. I mean there's one in the first half of the season and then the August race at the Glen.

"I think it's pretty cool, too, that one is in California and one is in
New York," said Wallace, whose Watkins Glen wins came back in 1987 and 1989. "Both races give the competitors something different.something that's a break from the norm. The trips to the road courses are a whole lot of fun, too. They're both in beautiful areas of the country and it's almost like they are working vacations. I mean I know that they pay 180 points to win just like the rest of 'em, but it's nice to have somewhere different to visit. They give the competitors something different, they offer the fans something special and they contrast what TV usually has to offer.

"The bottom line is that the popularity of our sport is at an all-time
high and it continues to soar, doesn't it?" asked Wallace. "Stop and ask yourself where we'd be if we ran on nothing but mile-and-a-half tracks where a lot of people complain about the lack of competition. What if we ran on nothing but the tracks where it was only single-file racing all the time. I think this sport would be in a helluva' shape.

"So that's why I say thank goodness for the road courses," said
Wallace, who jumped back up to fifth in the point standings with last Sunday's runner-up finish in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We need 'em just like we need the half-mile and three-quarter-mile tracks. We need a huge variety of tracks to make up the schedule. We need 'em all to class things up, though. We need these places to get up to date with their facilities and all. Winston Cup doesn't need to be running at any dumps, so a lot of these tracks need to look at doing some upgrading, that's for sure."

So, what does Wallace think about adding more road course events to the schedule?

"No way," says Wallace. "We're already running 36 races and that's way.way too many weeks on the road. To be honest with you, I'd like to see 'em get us back down to 30 to 32 races. And if that means cutting back to single dates at some of these places, then let's do it. If it means cutting some tracks that can't keep up with the times off the deal, then let's do it. Yeah, and if it meant that they said they would cut out the road courses and not replace them with somewhere else.I'd probably even consider that if it'd get us back headed toward a 30-race schedule. We're just racing too much and that's probably the biggest overall gripe that I have about our sport right now."

Sunday's Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen, the 22nd of 36 races on the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup schedule, is schedule to begin at 12:30 p.m. EDT. Qualifying is set for Friday at 3:00 p.m. on the 2.45-mile circuit. Sunday's 90-lap, 220.5-mile race features live coverage by NBC-TV and MRN Radio.