Rusty Wallace crawled behind the wheel of his No. 66 Dodge during preseason testing Saturday for the Busch Series at Daytona International Speedway. But just as Wallace was getting up to speed, the engine blew.

“I ran four laps, and as soon as I did that, I was waiting for the draft, and I came down the front straightaway, and it went on seven cylinders,” Wallace said. The car is normally driven by Rusty’s son, Steve. But Rusty said because it’s his car and he pays for it, he can drive it, too. And Rusty wasn’t necessarily trying to help out Steve. He was also preparing for his job as an analyst on ESPN’s coverage of Busch Series races in 2007. “It was an opportunity for me to feel this rules package,” Wallace said. “When I’m calling the race on Saturday, I can say, ‘Down there in testing in January, I drove the car, and because of those rear [spoilers with wicker bills], they really suck up in the draft.’ It gives me a lot more knowledge.”

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