"We've got ourselves a lot of rules": When Rusty Wallace called for more freedom in NASCAR

Former NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace once argued that the stock car racing league had excessive rules. In an interview with SB Nation, Wallace called for more freedom and wished some of the rules would be relaxed.

Rusty Wallace is a 55-time Cup race winner with teams like Penske Racing and Blue Max Racing. The Missouri native notably won the 1989 Cup championship and earned a Hall of Fame induction into the 2013 class.

During the interview in 2010, Wallace had already retired from the sport. The now 68-year-old was asked what he would change if he were in charge of NASCAR.

"I think there's just way too many rules. We've got ourselves a lot of rules. I just wish some of them would get relaxed a little bit," Wallace said.

He added:

"I understand that's part of it, but my own personal opinion is to figure out a way to not have such a tight box and have so many rules. That's one thing I'd start working on."

Rusty Wallace last drove the No. 2 Dodge in the NASCAR Cup Series - Source: Imagn

While the interview didn't elaborate on which rules Rusty Wallace was referring to, NASCAR introduced new regulations in the 2000s, some of which didn't sit well with fans.

In 2001, NASCAR added the yellow line rule to prohibit overtaking below the yellow line. Three years later, the league implemented the playoff system and the overtime (a.k.a. green-white-checkered finish), changing the racing product compared to Rusty Wallace's heyday.

Wallace competed in the league in the '80s and '90s before retiring in 2005.

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"I was burnt out": Rusty Wallace on decision to retire from NASCAR

In the same interview, Rusty Wallace was asked about his retirement from NASCAR. The former Penske Racing driver said he was burnt out from traveling to every race track and wanted to focus on his TV career.

Of note, Wallace joined the ESPN broadcasting booth as a lead studio analyst after his racing career.

"The reason I stopped is because I was just burnt out from being on the road so much. I was just tired of living in a motorcoach all the time. And I said, 'The heck with it,'" Wallace said in response to people asking him why he retired.

"I said, 'Well, I have my TV career in front of me, so I want to do that.' But I woke up every day going, 'Oh...'" added the former NASCAR champion .

Wallace also considered his health while quitting full-time competition. The loss of his best friend and fellow NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt Sr., made him question his stay in the sport.

"Everybody has an agenda, and mine was that I wanted to go out on top. And I had a nice program put together with ESPN, so I did that. If I wouldn't have had my ESPN thing, I would have kept driving," he concluded.

Today, Wallace is still involved with stock car racing through his broadcasting duties with Motor Racing Network (MRN).