Matt Wallace (left) looks to follow his father Mike (center) and sister Chrissy (right) when he competes at Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Missouri this year. Photo by Tim Berrier
His grandfather, father, uncles, and sister have all found success in short track racing. In 2012, Matt Wallace plans on taking the same path as he is planning to run for the Late Model championship this season at Lebanon I-44 Speedway, an ASA Member Track in Lebanon, MO.
The 16-year-old from Concord, NC has the same plans to do the same thing that his sister Chrissy Wallace did last season. In fact, he will be driving the same car, owned by Mike Scott, that Chrissy drove to her I-44 Speedway Late Model and ASA Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Member Track West Region Championship in 2011.
“My plans for the 2012 season are to complete every lap at Lebanon I-44 Speedway, and hopefully come out on top at the end of the season,” the third generation driver said. “Mike Scott is the car owner with the backing of Lucas Oil Products. I will be flying back and forth every weekend.”
Matt is looking forward to running at the same facility that his father, Mike Wallace, started his career. His father is the 1990 NASCAR Region Champion as he competed each week with the great Larry Phillips.
Last year, his older sister Chrissy Wallace climbed into the Lucas Handley prepared Late Model and became the first ever-female champion at the famed 3/8-mile high-banked facility. “I am very excited to run at the nicest race track in the world,” Matt Wallace said. “The Willards (track owners) are great people and very loyal to the sport.”
He has a very realistic goal for this season.
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“I would like to win a few races and be very competitive week in and week out,” Wallace said. “Keep the car in one piece and finish out on top.”
Matt will have some tough competition this season, as he will be competing with drivers like Ken Dickinson, Dale Roper Jr., Grant Sharp, Jim Vanzandt, Mike Slone and more. He may also be competing against his sister as she is hoping to find a ride and come back to possibly defend her 2011 championship.
This will be his first full season in a full-bodied stock car. “I started racing Bandoleros when I was nine years old,” Wallace recalled. “We won some races and moved up to the Legend cars where I still compete in North Carolina.” In the seven years of racing, he has 19 wins, 29 top five and 39 top ten finishes.
“We are very excited to welcome another member of the famous Wallace family to compete with us this season at Lebanon I-44 Speedway,” Craig Armstrong, General Manager said. “It is great to see that he is going to follow his family footsteps and continue to develop his racing career with us. His sister Chrissy set the bar very high for him after the great season she had last season. I think the fans will be eager to watch him compete this season and hope that years down the road, they can say they remember watching him race in their backyard.”
His announcement comes on the heels of his father and uncles being inducted into the Ozarks Area Racers Association Hall of Fame. Brad and David Willard, owners of Lebanon I-44 Speedway, joined the Wallace Brothers as part of the 2012 class. Other inductees included drivers Rex Merritt and Wayne Bates, and legendary race official Bill Crooks.
Lebanon I-44 Speedway is part of the ASA Member Track program. Their Late Model division will be competing for the 2012 ASA Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Member Track National Championship. More information about the Speedway can be found at www.i44speedway.net.
