Gateway International Raceway announced that St. Louis native Rusty Wallace [#64 Dodge] would be driving in their annual NASCAR Busch Series event on Saturday night, July 30, 2005. Rusty will join brothers Kenny and Mike as the track will salute the First Family of racing in St. Louis and will dedicate the name of the event to the “Wallace Family Tribute 250”. It marks the first time ever that Rusty will drive in a major NASCAR event in his hometown and is part of the “Rusty’s Last Call” farewell tour. For his farewell tour Rusty decided to return home and run his first race ever at Gateway International Raceway. “This is going to be a monumental event and I couldn’t think of a better place to do it,” stated Rusty Wallace. “I haven’t driven in the St. Louis area since the late 1970’s. It’s going to be an exciting homecoming for me and I know many of my friends will be there.” When Rusty returns to Gateway he will be running against some familiar faces in his younger brothers Mike and Kenny. It will be the first time ever that all three Wallace Brothers will be running against each other in a major NASCAR event in their hometown. Their parents, Russ and Judy Wallace, will also be present and a part of the pre-race ceremonies which will include tributes and dedications.

“This is going to be pretty incredible,” stated Kenny Wallace [#22 Stacker 2 Ford]. “Rusty’s career is coming full circle and at the same time we have a chance to celebrate it in our home town of St. Louis. It is always extra special when you can run against your brothers, but this gives us a chance to say thank you to St. Louis for coming out to Gateway to support us. It would be a dream for me if Rusty, Mike and I were fighting it out on the last few laps for the win.” Mike Wallace [no current ride in any series] is the middle brother of the Wallace Family racers and has won on almost every kind of track you can drive on. He has over 300 short track wins and has Busch Series wins at IRP, Dover, Martinsville and Milwaukee. He added to that list in 2004 when he took the checkered flag in the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway on July 2. Mike Wallace commented on running at Gateway for the special occasion. “I would just like to thank Gateway for doing this and honoring our family,” stated Wallace. “I know this is a big tribute year for my brother Rusty and I think it is very unique in the sense that this is probably the last time all three of us will get a chance to race together.” The “Wallace Family Tribute 250” will highlight Gateway’s “Year of The Tributes” in 2005. Oval season tickets are on sale now and start at just $125. There will be plenty of activities added including concerts, post-race fireworks and more to be announced. To order your tickets call 1-866-35-SPEED, or log onto www.gatewayraceway.com.

(Gateway Intl Speedway site)

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