Veteran NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace is an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. (Marc Serota/Getty Images) » More Photos

I was the first NASCAR driver EVER to wreck at Indianapolis Motor Speedway! I would forever be known for this. It was the start of the Brickyard and me.

My relationship with the Brickyard has been a love-hate relationship ever since. Of all the times I’ve raced there, my best finish is around 17th. But I’ve got a great memory of the Brickyard I will always cherish.

It was 1997 or 1998 - back when we had two rounds of qualifying on separate days. There were 56 cars attempting to qualify, compared to the 47 this year. I was with a brand-new Cup team, and in the first round, we weren’t fast enough and had to revert to second round qualifying. That was the most miserable, tense time of my life and I didn’t sleep at all that night.

But we laid down a lap the next day that put me in the Brickyard 400. I’ll never forget when I came off Turn Four and drove down the track with grandstands on both sides. The fans have always been good to me but judging by the crowd’s response, you’d think I’d won the Brickyard.

It was just second-round qualifying, but to me, it was Bump Day at the Indy 500. I climbed out of the car and was so happy that I got on top of my door, raised my fists in the air and jumped. The fans were going crazy and the place was rocking. The photo of me jumping up and down was all over the papers the next day.

Yes, I wish I’d had a shot at winning the Brickyard, just like any other driver would wish, but I felt like I had won. I experienced all the feelings of happiness and euphoria the winner experiences when he kisses the bricks. I won the Brickyard in my own little way and nothing can ever take that moment from me.

Kenny Wallace keeps the mood light and humorous each week as an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. Currently driving the No. 28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Wallace has amassed nine career wins and 10 pole positions and finished in the top 10 in series points every full season he has competed. Currently in his 19th year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Wallace finished runner-up in the points in 1991 and is one of only four drivers to have won the Most Popular Driver award multiple times. He also has vast experience in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series over a span of 18 years. To learn more about Wallace or his Nationwide Series sponsor, please visit KennyWallace.com or BorderPatrol.gov