NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace is going to return to the driver’s seat for the upcoming Ferrari Finali Mondiali on Dec. 1-4 at Daytona International Speedway.
The 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will battle the twists and turns of the “World Center of Racing’s” 3.56-mile road course for the Risi Competizione/Ferrari of Houston team in the North America series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli. Wallace will practice on Thursday, Dec. 1 followed by qualifying and racing on Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3.
“I hope that I can run strong in it and hopefully win but I’m realistic too,” Wallace said. “I haven’t been in a car in a long time. I’m going to have to knock a lot cobwebs off but I got the passion for it.”
Wallace is going to test with the team at the Circuit of Americas in Austin, Texas to get acclimated to the car and the crew before arriving at Daytona International Speedway.
“Everybody that I talk to says (the team) is first class,” Wallace said. “The team has welcomed me with open arms.”
In his NASCAR career, Wallace made 706 career starts with 55 victories and 36 poles. His lone championship came with Blue Max Racing in 1989. He retired from NASCAR competition following the 2005 season and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2014.
While Wallace knows every inch of the 2.5-mile tri-oval from his NASCAR competition, he only competed once on the 3.56-mile road course when he made his lone Rolex 24 At Daytona start in 2006.
He currently serves as an analyst for MRN Radio.
The Ferrari Finali Mondiali, the four-day event that is being staged in North America for the first time, will bring together competitors from the European, North American and Asia Pacific series of the Ferrari Challenge for a battle for the World Championship in their Ferrari 458 Challenge EVOs. The Ferrari Finali Mondiali has been previously held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Italy. The weekend also includes the display and running of historic Formula 1 cars and Ferrari’s exclusive XX Programmes.
The Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 show is scheduled for the final day of the Ferrari Finali Mondiali. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen will drive in the Formula 1 exhibition during the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, the first public appearance of Formula One cars in the history of Daytona International Speedway. The Scuderia Ferrari drivers will participate in the show that will feature demonstrations of pit stops, thrilling accelerations and fast laps.
“I’m going to make sure I’m watching that,” Wallace said. “The sound is going to be incredible. Everybody is talking about it. There is noise in the (NASCAR) garage about that. I definitely want to see that.”
Tickets for this prestigious event can be purchased at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com, calling 1-800-PITSHOP or by visiting the Daytona International Speedway Ticket Office. Daily adult general admission tickets start at $15; kids 12 and under are FREE throughout the event. A four-day general admission pass is also available for $60, a savings of $35, and includes access to the garage area. Parking and camping packages are also available.
Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat (username: DISupdates), and by downloading the new version of Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.
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