Rusty is in the building

By Jenni Chase, Editor, AutoGlass magazine


Although I’m not a die-hard NASCAR fan, I have a healthy respect for the men and women who hurtle themselves around the racetrack at speeds my Jeep can only dream of. So when I found out Rusty Wallace was signing autographs on the show floor at GlassBuild America on Wednesday, I decided to get a signed piece of memorabilia for my brother-in-law Tyler. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.
As 11 a.m. approached and Rusty settled into the Auto Glass Pavilion, my stomach began doing flip flops. When I took my place in line, my palms began to sweat. Strange thoughts raced through my mind: What would I say to him? What would I do? What if I got up there and turned into a bumbling idiot? What if I clumsily knocked a cup of coffee into his lap, scalding one of NASCAR’s all-time greats and invoking the wrath of hundreds of thousands of fans? By the time I got to the autograph table, I was a nervous wreck.

And then a funny thing happened. I walked up to Rusty, smiled politely and asked him to sign my poster. I didn’t trip and fall into the table; there was no embarrassing coffee incident. Rusty simply shook my hand and gave me an autograph. Oh, and Tyler, I had my picture taken with him too. Eat your heart out…