Rusty Wallace denies comeback report

Oct 1, 2008 - 6:54 PM CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Rusty Wallace has denied a recent report claiming that he is considering a return to NASCAR.

Wallace issued a statement denying his return to racing Wednesday, one day after his brother - Kenny Wallace - reported in an Internet column that the former NASCAR champion could end his three-year retirement to drive for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

"I love Kenny to death," said Wallace, an analyst for ABC and ESPN. "He's been trying to get me back in a car ever since I retired after 2005. While any rumors like this are certainly flattering, they're untrue. I have a long-term commitment to ABC and ESPN, and I really love what I'm doing right now."

Rusty Wallace, 52, collected 55 career victories - eighth on NASCAR's all-time list - in a 25-year career before retiring after the 2005 season.

His younger brother, 45-year-old Kenny Wallace, posted a blog on SpeedTV.com Tuesday night stating that the 1989 NASCAR champion is toying with the idea of joining DEI, which lost Cup driver Paul Menard earlier in the day.

"He's considering this huge move because he watched Brett Favre come out of retirement in the NFL and his good friend Mark Martin is giving it another shot next year at Hendrick," Kenny Wallace wrote. "If Mark had quit, Rusty would have been comfortable with his retirement.

"But watching Mark, who is a couple of years younger than my brother, stage this comeback has really tugged on Rusty's heartstrings."