Superstar NASCAR Drivers: Where Are They Now?

Cameron Eittreim June 3, 2021

4: Rusty Wallace

The super-popular Wallace started his NASCAR career back in 1980 and has been a mainstay in the sport ever since. Wallace had a close rivalry with Dale Earnhardt Sr. which lasted until Earnhardt’s death, although both drivers had mutual respect for each other. Wallace has managed racing teams as well as kept his name in the sport by commentating and mentoring.

The driver operated Rusty Wallace Racing until 2012m when he moved onto full-time commentating. There aren’t a lot of celebrities that have been able to cultivate the career that Wallace has done for himself. With the determination and fortitude to win you can bet that Wallace will be a part of NASCAR for the foreseeable future.

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3: Terry Labonte

Labonte is another star driver whose NASCAR career stretches way back. Initially racing for his father, Labonte won the coveted NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. Labonte won this award alongside other greats from his generation such as Dale Earnhardt and Harry Gant. His racing style was calm and collected, which lead him to become a NASCAR advisor in his later years.

Nowadays Labonte shares his expertise with various racing teams, most notably Petty Racing. The famed driver was also inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015, a prestigious honor that was bestowed on him at a young age (still in his sixties). NASCAR racing has changed a lot over the years and Terry Labonte will remain a part of it.

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2: Tony Stewart

Stewart was among one of the major celebrity drivers that propelled NASCAR to unfathomable heights. At the height of his popularity, Stewart was featured in a Three Doors Down music video and on the cover of numerous NASCAR video games. His reputation for risk-taking and speed helped to secure the driver a fair amount of championships over his career. Stewart is also heavily involved in dirt track racing and still participates to this day.

After he quietly retired from racing, Stewart carved out a reputation of knowledge and dependability. His NASCAR career is unparalleled and the dream of many is to achieve the same level of popularity. Stewart will undoubtedly go down as one of the most popular drivers.

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1: Ricky Rudd

Entering NASCAR at the ripe old age of 18 is a dream for many aspiring fans, but Rudd pulled it off. Entering the racing world in 1975, Rudd managed to carve quite the reputation for himself early on as a steady hand at the wheel. Rudd was part of an elite group of drivers who took NASCAR to new heights of popularity, including Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Rudd has a whopping 374 top 10s under his belt, a feat many drivers can only aspire to.

He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and still races Go-Karts in the Charlotte area at the GoPro Motorplex. Ricky Rudd has also been a television personality hosting SPEED Center and a series of other sportscast. Rudd eventually worked his way up to being a part-time analyst for NASCAR events.

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Superstar NASCAR Drivers: Where Are They Now?

4: Rusty Wallace

3: Terry Labonte

2: Tony Stewart

1: Ricky Rudd

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