A late season filled with frustration is suddenly looking much better to Rusty Wallace.

Five straight top-10 finishes will do that.

The streak has revived the former Winston Cup champion’s hopes of finishing the season no lower than 10th in the standings.

“I’ve always said it’s like three different categories,” Wallace explained. “There’s the champion, there are the other members of the top 10, and then there are the rest of them.

The last time Wallace finished outside the top 10 was 1992, when he wound up 13th. Other than 1984 and 1985 — when he finished 14th and 19th in his first two full seasons in NASCAR’s top series — that is the only time Wallace has not been among the top 10.

His string of 10 consecutive top 10 points finishes is the best among active drivers, and it’s been Wallace’s biggest source of pride since his streak of 16 consecutive seasons with at least one race win ended in 2002.

“It means a ton to me and the team,” Wallace said. “So does getting back into the win column, too. Both are the major goals left for the final six races of the year.”

Both are also important goals for Wallace’s Penske Racing South crew chief, Bill Wilburn.

“It’s like a calling card or his claim to fame, and it is quite amazing when you stop and think about it,” Wilburn said, referring to his driver’s streak.

After last week’s ninth-place finish at Kansas Speedway, Wallace enters Saturday night’s UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway tied for 13th with Bill Elliott — 900 points behind series leader Matt Kenseth, but only 129 behind 10th-place Terry Labonte.

Before his string of top-10 finishes began last month at Richmond, Wallace was 17th, trailing then 10th-place Tony Stewart by 279 points.

Rusty Wallace, center, Dale Jarrett, left, and Johnny Benson take a practice lap in Loudon, N.H. in this file photo. Wallace is trying to rally to a top-10 points finish.