Q - For the drivers, how challenging is Gateway? And how challenging is it for the crew chiefs?

“As for racing, it’s a really hard track to race on. You’ve got a long front straightaway that goes into a really tight Turn 1. The track reminds me a lot of Phoenix International Raceway. The buildings and the suites in the entry of Turn 1 look and feel like Phoenix, and when you go into the corner it feels like it. Turn 2 is a corner all its own and is completely different from any other racetrack. It’s real tight and when you come out and look to your right side, you’re running parallel to the highway.

“For drivers, it is a challenging track and the car has to turn really well. St. Louis is especially tough because it’s such a tight corner in Turn 1. Handling is very important. It’s a give and take because all of the corners are different. As a driver, you always want to be better in Turns 1 and 2 and give up the center a little in 3 and 4.

“The biggest challenge for the crew chief is setting up for the different corners and getting the driver happy with the turns.”

Q - Do you wish your hometown of St. Louis had Gateway International Raceway when you were beginning your career?

“Yes, I wish it had been there because it would have been the only big racetrack nearby to go run at and launch my career in NASCAR quicker than I did. Every driver would love a big racetrack to sprout their wings on and get into NASCAR quicker. Gateway is my home track and it carries the Wallace name in the grandstands. They gave me that honor when I retired in 2005.”

Q - How much does it mean to you personally to see St. Louis supporting NASCAR racing at Gateway?

“It means everything in the world to me. It’s such a metro city, with so many thousands of people living there. NASCAR is so popular now around the world. There are so many great racetracks around the country and I’m glad that Gateway is able to get a NASCAR Busch Series race there because getting a race now is so popular and next to impossible.”

[ESPN]