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Wallace had high hopes entering the Atlanta 500 as the U.S. Auto Club (USAC) Stock Car Series 1979 Rookie of the Year. He finished third in the championship standings of the 12-race series, behind legendary racer A.J. Foyt and Bay Darnell.

In order to get an opportunity to show what he could at the top level of NASCAR racing, Wallace relied on a man who he knew from a young age growing up in Missouri – Team Penske Hall of Famer Don Miller.

“Rusty was actually my paper boy and I helped with his racing development – his short track program and drag racing,” said Miller, a former racer himself who joined Team Penske in 1972 and held many roles and responsibilities within the team for more than 35 years. “I worked closely with Roger (Penske) and I approached him about running Rusty several times. Roger would call Rusty “Dusty” Wallace, but I finally talked Roger into running a team with Rusty at the 1979 Penske Christmas Party. We wanted to take the car to Daytona, but it wasn’t made for the Superspeedway, so we decided on Atlanta.”

As Wallace recalls, he got a chance to test with the team at the Atlanta track a couple of weeks before the 500-mile race – but not with a Cup Series car. “We drove the IROC car at Atlanta and that really helped me get to know the track,” said Wallace.

During the Atlanta 500 race weekend, Wallace and his new team became comfortable with each other and the car, but the engine powering the No. 16 Caprice became a concern.

“The engine kept running hot and we wondered if this thing was going to be able to make it 500 miles,” said Wallace. “The night before the race, we were able to get a motor from none other than A.J. Foyt. The guys went to work putting in the new engine and we lined up and raced with it the next day and finished second. It was really kind of like something out of a movie.”

With the strong runner-up result, Wallace felt the Atlanta race was just the beginning of something big in NASCAR and the first of many races with Team Penske.

“The car ran great, the handling was great and the team did such a good job,” said Wallace. “After the race I thought, ‘well, this is pretty easy, we’ve got this figured out.’ I soon realized there was a lot more to learn about NASCAR racing.”

Miller recalled that The Captain was pretty energized over the performance by Wallace and the team. “Roger was very surprised with the run and asked if we wanted to do this again, so we built a Monte Carlo and raced at Charlotte. We didn’t do that well,” said Miller.

Wallace and the team competed in the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October of 1980. After starting 25th, Wallace brought home a 14th-place finish and that would wind up being his last Team Penske start for more than a decade.

“One of the toughest things about that year was talking with Roger after the race in Charlotte when he told me I should go get some more experience and that he hoped we would get a chance to work together again down the road,” said Wallace. “I was so disappointed.”

Wallace continued his development, entering the Cup Series full time in 1984 and he began to establish himself as one of the top drivers in NASCAR, winning the Cup Series title in 1989.

After 10 years away from NASCAR competition, Penske Racing South was established in 1991 as the veteran Wallace returned to the team alongside Miller, who became Team President.

“I remember I asked Roger if I had enough experience now and he said ‘you sure do – let’s go racing!’ That’s all I needed to hear,” said Wallace.

Behind the wheel of the No. 2 car with sponsorship from the Miller Brewing Company, Wallace produced 39 wins for Team Penske between 1991 and 2005, when he retired from NASCAR competition.

Wallace was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013 and he joined the Team Penske Hall of Fame in 2018. He continues to be one of the most beloved personalities in motorsports and he is still deeply involved in NASCAR as a broadcast personality for MRN Radio.

“It’s been one heck of a ride,” said Wallace, “and it all began with that race at Atlanta.”