It all started in 1987 when Rusty Wise, after being around many NASCAR races in the 80's envisioned a desire to become a racecar driver. Rusty's family was not involved in racing as many racing families are, but he still wanted to get into the sport. First, he would need a shop and the only place he could find or afford was his grandfather's barn. Hillard Wise, Rusty's grandfather passed away in 1981 leaving the barn unattended for a few years. In 1987 Rusty cleaned out the chicken coops, horse stalls, and hand poured enough concrete to accommodate a car. "We really started out in a barn - it was tough rolling a jack on a dirt floor," said Rusty. In 1988 a car was purchased, a 1972 Chevrolet Nova, which was an old NASCAR Sportsman series car. That year with the help of Rusty's brother, Butch, who remains a team member, and under the name of "Wise Racing" they raced the Nova at the Concord Motor Speedway in Concord, NC with limited success in the NASCAR Late Model Stock car Class. Then in 1989, after purchasing a 1981 Chevrolet Malibu that was previously driven by Dale Jarrett, Rusty ran for the late Model "Rookie of the Year" title at the Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, NC. not having enough financial backing forced Rusty and the team not to run the full season and he was runner-up for the rookie title. In 1990, the plans were to race at hickory with a newly built Late Model Chevrolet Lumina. After six races, the team was preparing for a race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway NC when doom struck. In August 1990, a fire destroyed the barn, all equipment, and shop, with no financial backing; the team was forced to shut down. Rusty ran limited races in the early 90's with other teams. The main focus, however, was to rebuild his own team. Land was purchased and a new facility was built in 1991 and an electrical contracting business was established in 1994 - Wise Electric Control Inc., in which Rusty put his A.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering to work. The facility is located on Hwy 150 West in Cherryville, NC and is complete with offices, meeting rooms, shops that house the electrical and the racing business. Rusty and the "Control Racing Team" which was formed in 1996 have been building the team, acquiring equipment, personnel, and transporters. Rusty and the team have competed in divisions such as ARCA, NASCAR Goody's Dash, Busch, and Winston Cup Series. The future is unknown, but Rusty Wise and the Control Racing Team are heading in the right direction. and yes, now the family is involved. Rusty's family consists of: wife, Anne Wolfe Wise; children, Winston and Savannah Grace; parents, Hillard & Connie Wise; brother, Butch Wise; and sister, Cheryl Wise McGinnis all of Cherryville, NC.

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