Kenny Wallace joins USMTS at Eagle Aug. 12

WALLACE TO TAKE ON O’REILLY USMTS THIRTEEN TIMES IN 2008

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 12) — Kenny Wallace is a fan favorite among NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars, but the 44-year-old driver, racetrack owner and television personality is currently without a ride for the upcoming NASCAR season. But let not your heart be troubled, as dirt racing fans will have an ample number of opportunities to catch “The Hermanator” in action in 2008.

Wallace announced his 2008 dirt track schedule on Thursday, with 13 dates set to compete with the O’Reilly USMTS National Tour.

“As of right now I currently have many people helping me search for a sponsor. We put my marketing video on kennywallace.com to create a shortcut for anyone interested in sponsorship. I am currently talking to both truck and Busch teams and they want me to drive for them because I am a good driver and am marketable,” Wallace said. “Hopefully come Daytona, I will have a ride.”

Wallace's first stop on the O’Reilly USMTS National Tour will be on Monday, June 2, at the Iowa State Fair Speedway in Des Moines, Iowa. He'll wrap up his campaign with two races in The Hunt for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship: Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the Eagle (Neb.) Raceway and Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the Upper Iowa Speedway in Decorah, Iowa.

As a child, Wallace’s boisterous behavior earned him the nickname “Herman” after a mischievous cartoon character named Herman the German.

Wallace won the first race he ever entered. It was 1982, and the youngest member of the racing Wallace family, a longtime mechanic and crew member for his brothers Rusty and Mike, had a shot at driving a racecar of his own in the Illinois Street Stock State Championship. Kenny’s win in that race would be the first of many in his racing career.

In September of 1988, Dale Earnhardt gave Wallace the seat for his first-ever NASCAR start. He finished seventh in his first Busch Series start at Martinsville, Va. The following year, Wallace raced the full Busch Series schedule in a car owned by brother Rusty, earning the 1989 Rookie of the Year award and finishing sixth in driver point standings.

Wallace’s Busch Series accomplishments include nine wins, 10 poles, and eight seasons in the top-10 in driver points. In fact, Wallace has finished in the top-10 in every full Busch Series season he has ever run, including a second-place run in 1991 that ended just 74 points shy of the championship in what is still one of the closest points battles in series history.

Wallace drove the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2007. Wallace was voted in by fans to compete in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last May.

In addition to his driving duties, Wallace also works as an on-air personality for SPEED Channel on shows such as NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane. He was also featured on the show NASCAR Drivers: 360 on FX and is part owner of the Macon (Ill.) Speedway.

After racing three times with the O’Reilly USMTS road warriors in 2007, the following 13 dates are part of his 2008 agenda:

Mon Jun 2 … Iowa State Fair Speedway, Des Moines, IA
Tue Jun 17 … Mineral City Speedway, Fort Dodge, IA
Tue Jun 24 … Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, SD
Wed Jun 25 … Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, SD
Tue Jul 22 … Kasson Speedway, Kasson, MN
Wed Jul 23 … Clay County Speedway, Spencer, IA
Tue Jul 29 … Cresco Speedway, Cresco, IA
Wed Jul 30 … Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA
Mon Aug 4 … Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, KS
Tue Aug 5 … 81 Speedway Wichita, KS
Wed Aug 6 … Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, KS
Tue Aug 12 … Eagle Raceway, Eagle, NE
Wed Aug 13 … Upper Iowa Speedway, Decorah, IA

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS — America's Hottest Ticket on Dirt.