By Nathan Ham
Frequent High Country visitor and NASCAR Hall of Fame Driver Rusty Wallace has recently put his Linville Ridge house on the market for a cool $1,559,000.
The four-bedroom, four-bathroom home is located at 1020 Ridge Drive inside the luxurious Linville Ridge private residential community. Wallace will still be living in the Linville Ridge community, but just decided that his family needed a larger home.
“The reason we are selling our home is because of our growing family. We bought the home in 2006 when our three children were younger. We have many great memories in the house,” said Wallace. “The floor plan lives beautifully and it has been very easy to maintain. The home is in absolutely perfect condition. We will miss it but with four grandchildren in just the last two years we just needed more room.”
The one-level house features hardwood floors, an open kitchen crafted with granite countertops, a gas cooktop range and generous cabinet space. The house also has added amenities including walls of windows, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and expansive covered and uncovered decks to enjoy the beautiful outdoor views that the High Country has to offer.
“This immaculate home is the perfect blend of luxury and privacy. Nestled in a picturesque mountain setting, its soaring ceilings, elegant lighting and fine finishes evoke the ultimate mountain lifestyle,” said Jonathan Rivers of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.
For Wallace and his family, their love of being in the High Country is one of the experiences they all look forward too when they are in town for a visit.
“We love coming to the North Carolina mountains, particularly the Linville, Banner Elk, and Sugar Mountain areas because of the high altitude, the peace and tranquility, wonderful temperatures, great restaurants and all the beautiful surroundings. It’s just such a calming place. But most importantly our entire family loves everything about it,” says Wallace.
Wallace raved about the great things to do in the area, particularly without having to even leave their residential community. Residents frequently eat at the Sand Wedge, View 180 and Belvedere restaurants and have access to a world-class golf course, tennis courts and the spa and full-service salon. Wallace called it a “summer camp for adults.”
“In addition, we feel safe knowing there is 24-hour security there year-round. The owners of Linville Ridge keep everything perfect and we appreciate that,” he said.
Outside of the resort, Wallace and his family still have plenty of things to do, particularly to enjoy the beautiful nature that the High Country provides.
“This summer we took a nice motorcycle trip through the Blue Ridge Parkway and the surrounding areas. During the holidays our entire family came up and we had a great time skiing as at the Sugar Mountain Ski Resort. It was really nice, especially because of all the brand new equipment that has just been installed at Sugar Mountain They have new snowmaking equipment and brand new ski lifts that are fast and very modern. In addition to everything else, Bristol Motor Speedway is just an hour away,” said Wallace.
Wallace is a 55-time Winston Cup Series Race winner. His numerous accolades include winning the 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year award and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. In 2013, he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2014. He is also a board member of The NASCAR Foundation — the sport’s foremost charity initiative.
The house is marketed exclusively by Josh Aldridge, Natalie Earnhardt and Jonathan Rivers of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s Linville Ridge office. Listing details can be viewed here.
Q&A with Natalie Earnhardt
Q: Rusty Wallace and his family will be staying in the area and have already purchased another residence. Any reason why he’s leaving his current home?
A: That’s right, they are staying at Linville Ridge, but have moved up the road to a larger home. Rusty and his wife, Patti, have a quickly growing family! They have three children who are all married and four grandchildren. While this four bed, four bath home has been the perfect place for them since 2006, they’ve simply outgrown it at this point. Rusty actually sent me a video of their “final night” in this home before moving their belongings to their new home on the mountain and it was quite emotional to watch! They reminisced about memories made over the many great years in this home and discussed how much they were going to miss it. It has been a bittersweet transition, for sure.
Q: Have there been any renovations in recent years?
A: Renovations were done to provide four true en-suites because that was very important to Rusty and Patti, especially when all of their children were in town at once. This home has water treatment equipment that was installed in 2017, and a new HVAC which was installed in 2016. Also, the entire home was given a fresh coat of paint this past fall, top to bottom, inside and out. A more meticulously kept home will not be found.
Q: Who might be interested in this home?
A: young family with a couple of kids would find the size and layout of this home to be absolutely perfect. There’s plenty of room for “play” but also plenty of privacy. A retired couple who invites family or guests to visit occasionally would be sure to love the privacy of the four bedroom suites as well as the “lock and leave” ease of this immaculate home. A single person would enjoy this home as well because it isn’t too much for one person to take care of. It truly would be perfect for anyone.
Q: Can you tell us about Linville Ridge?
A: Linville Ridge is a special place. Nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, there is no better place to be – especially during the summer. This private community offers golf, tennis, croquet, fine dining, a lovely spa, and so very much more. Grandfather Mountain is just minutes away if you’d like to visit there and its visual splendor is in full view from many of our homes and amenities… Rusty’s home included. Linville is a resort community, so there are several places that someone might choose from if they were moving to the area. What sets Linville Ridge apart from other communities is it’s high elevations, mountaintop golf course and big mountain views, while remaining close in proximity to shopping, grocery stores, restaurants, and area attractions. It’s the best of all worlds.
Q: What are some things that stand out to you about this home?
A: This home is one of my very favorite on the mountain because of its cozy spaciousness, great layout, and stunning long and short-range mountain views. The house is always filled with natural light during the day, thanks to the many skylights. It also has been kept in pristine condition from day one which is sometimes hard to say about a mountain home. There’s no wear and tear to speak of, nothing that needs to be repaired. Rusty and Patti have always taken such amazing care of their home and it absolutely shows!
Photos by Tommy White
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