NASCAR Hall of Fame Class 2013: Rusty Wallace's Headliner Status Is Well Earned

The 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame class was announced on Wednesday, and although five deserving members in total will be inducted, there is no doubt that Rusty Wallace will be the headliner. Wallace didn't always get the credit he deserved throughout his career, but his selection is certainly a great one.

Wallace will be enshrined along with pioneers Buck Baker, Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas and Leonard Wood, according to David Scott of the Boston Herald. While every inductee is a good one, Wallace is clearly the most well known due to the fact that he is a contemporary driver.

Wallace, who retired after the 2005 season, has a list of accomplishments that is about a mile long. He is eighth all-time in Cup Series wins with 55, and he took home the Winston Cup points championship in 1989. He never won the coveted Daytona 500, so he is often overlooked, but there is no doubt that Wallace is one of the best drivers ever.

His 34 short-track victories make him the winningest driver on that style of track. Longer tracks such as Daytona and Talladega often receive much of the attention, but it is as important to excel on shorter tracks as it is to race well at super speedways. Wallace proved that over the course of his career and was very successful because of it.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Wallace's career is that most race fans still associate a certain number and paint scheme with him. Aside from Dale Earnhardt and the black No. 3 Goodwrench, Richard Petty and the red and blue No. 43 STP and Jeff Gordon and the rainbow No. 24 Dupont, there aren't many other drivers you can say that about.

Despite the fact that Brad Keselowski is excelling aboard it now, Wallace will forever be known as the pilot of the "blue deuce." Wallace drove the No. 2 Miller Lite car complete with blue paint scheme for Penske Racing from 1997 until the conclusion of his career.

There is no doubt that it is one of the most iconic cars in history, and much of that is because of Wallace himself.

Wallace finished in the top 10 in points an astounding 17 times during his career, including seven top-five seasons. There have been very few drivers over the course of NASCAR's history who were more consistent than Wallace. He may not have been as flashy as some of his competitors, but he usually got the job done.

There have been several drivers over the past few decades who were little more than a flash in the pan. It's easy to have one good season, but Wallace was one of the top drivers in the sport for 25 years. There aren't many participants in any sport who have such a great combination of skill and longevity, but Wallace undoubtedly had it.

After many years of being underrated, getting inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame assures that he will always be viewed as one of the best. Wallace often had to share the spotlight with others, but the 2013 Hall of Fame class is all about him.

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