During the ‘50s and ‘60s, when drag racing was in its infancy, those who documented the sport for enthusiast publications like National Dragster and Drag News rarely were trained journalists. Most were simply fans motivated by a love for the sport.

Among them was a native Californian who, armed with little more than an unquenchable curiosity and the ability to make sentences (“I wasn’t good at anything but P.E. and English”), ultimately set a standard for race coverage and honest commentary that helped transform the sport.

In this episode of Legends, The Series, Season Five, Dave Wallace explains how his limited expertise as a mechanic and driver led him to a career in motorsports journalism, how a typing class and a drag racing column probably saved his life after he was drafted into the army during the Viet Nam era, how he became “Wally’s No. 1 enemy” and why he believes print publications still are viable in the Digital Age.

The son of a dad who instilled in him the values that would shape both his life and his career, Wallace never was afraid to ruffle feathers in his pursuit of the truth.

“I’d like to be remembered as a guy who tried to get it right,” he said, “an advocate for the average fan who probably made some honest mistakes but who always looked out for the little guy.”

So, climb aboard for a journey that begins in the time slip booth at San Fernando Dragstrip, winds through Ft. Ord and Nam, moves on to a test of personal loyalty at Lions Drag Strip, to a resurrection of sorts at OCIR and ends with his game-changing tenure as the do-it-all editor at Drag News.