By Van Cox, Special to Turner Sports Interactive May 21, 2004
3:15 PM EDT (1915 GMT)

Rusty Wallace and rock music go together like peas and carrots. Back in 1998, he ran his first special paint scheme, a creative masterpiece honoring The King himself, Elvis Presley. That program was so popular that it made an encore appearance several years later. Wallace raced a car showcasing the Goo Goo Dolls.

Now, Rusty is rockin' again-this time with the California rock band Puddle of Mudd. Wallace's No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge will carry graphics derived from the group and their latest release, Life on Display, in the July 11 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. The car will include a variety of images featuring Puddle of Mudd guitarist Paul Phillips, singer-guitarist Wesley Scantlin, bassist Douglas Ardito and drummer Greg Upchurch.

As part of the promotion, the band will perform a concert following the NASCAR qualifying event on Friday, July 9 outside of Chicagoland Speedway's Turn 4.

Action Performance is replicating that No. 2 Miller Lite/Puddle of Mudd Dodge in die-cast, and it is available through the NASCAR.com SuperStore.

"Every year, it seems that the rock 'n' roll and racing connection gets stronger," noted Fred Wagenhals, Action Performance's chairman, president and CEO. "With these types of cross-market promotions, fans from both sides find common ground. Collectors also seem to enjoy adding the music-inspired die-cast replicas to their collections."