Chrissy Wallace excited to head to the beach for Grand National race

Chrissy Wallace, pictured at Franklin County Speedway. (Priscilla Skinner photo)

Chrissy Wallace has found a new home in racing competing in the Grand National Super Series, and now she is set to make her first appearance at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway.

Wallace, 37, from St. Louis, Missouri, is the daughter of longtime NASCAR driver Mike Wallace and the niece of 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace.  She competed briefly in the NASCAR national series ranks, making seven starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Last weekend, at Franklin County Speedway, she made her first start in Grand National competition driving for Jeremy Mayfield, finishing second.

“These cars are an absolute blast to run since they’re heavier cars and they’ve got so much speed in them,” Wallace said.  “Going out there at these tracks where we’re running and the people that I know I’m going to be racing against, it takes a lot of worries away.  In this Grand National Super Series, nobody’s going to go in there and just destroy you or door slam you.  That eases your mind a little bit more to where you can be a little bit competitive.”

Wallace is a teammate to series points leader Jeremy Mayfield, who picked up a win last week at Franklin County Speedway.  In the Grand National Super Series, she will also find herself racing with two-time Carteret County Speedway track champion Chris Burns, A.J. Henriksen, Jamie Mosley, and more.

“Running with Chris, Jeremy, A.J. in that 46 car is an absolute blast,” Wallace explained.  “You know everybody races you clean, they race you fair.  They may bump you a little bit but they’re not gonna go in there and knock you out of the way and destroy the  car so being able to race with them on a competitive level is a lot of fun.  I’m super thankful and appreciative of these opportunities.”

Heading into this weekend’s race, Wallace had never been to Carteret County Speedway.

“I actually was in Morehead City fishing a couple months ago and saw the speedway sign for Carteret whenever we were right there by the Big Rock, so that’s honestly the first time I even learned that’s where Carteret was,” Wallace stated.  “The only expectations that I have been setting for myself is going out there, having fun, getting to learn each one of these drivers and tracks that way you know who you can race, how you can race, but the biggest thing is going and finishing and hopefully getting a top-five finish.  Being able to go to Bowman Gray, racing on such a  flat track there, it’s not as big but racing there is gonna help me a little bit being able to come to Carteret and hopefully finish in the top-five.”

Prior to entering the Grand National Super Series, Wallace spent much of her season racing at the quarter-mile Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  Last season, she competed at Hickory Motor Speedway, a track where she became the first female Late Model winner at the age of 17 back in 2009.

The friendship between the Wallace family and Mayfield family dates back decades.

Jeremy Mayfield began racing for Penske Racing in 1998 as a teammate to Rusty Wallace.  After an injury in 2001, which ultimately ended his time at Penske, it was Mike Wallace who filled in for him for the remainder of the season.

“We’ve been reminiscing over all the old days and about him when and dad both drove the 12 car,” Wallace commented.  “One of the last races, I don’t think my uncle Rusty was too happy that at Phoenix, that dad outran him in the 12 car and ended up finishing second.  Jeremy and Shana both have have always been amazing people and have been really good to us.  Shana was the one who helped me get this deal together to come over here and run.  If it wasn’t for her, it probably wouldn’t have happened.”

The Grand National Super Series will run two 50-lap races in Saturday night’s John The Greek Restaurant Equipment Battle at the Beach.  The Bowman Gray Sportsman and Street Stocks will also be in action along with Legend Cars and U-CARs.  The green flag drops at 6:00pm.