Kenny Wallace explains why he’s going full-time dirt racing

Kenny Wallace details his life changing decisions while putting some people in their place

Kenny Wallace is here to break the internet while simultaneously setting the record straight

Last night, Kenny Wallace opened up Live for over an hour. He never goes live. Most of the viral videos he posts are pre-taped. For the special occasion, he took questions, talked all things racing and detailed his recent life changes.

Recently, Kenny Wallace announced that he plans to run full-time on the dirt tracks for 2019. This could be confusing to some as Wallace ran around 70 races in 2017.

But, what people don’t realize is that Kenny Wallace was working double time to make that happen. Last year, I turned on my TV to watch NASCAR Xfinity Series practice from Iowa. A few hours later, I drove over to Tri-City Speedway for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals event.

When I pulled into the pit area of the Granite City, Illinois dirt track, there was Kenny Wallace. He jumped on a place, left Iowa and landed back in St. Louis just so he could climb into the race car that night. Just hearing those travel plans will make you feel tired.

In summery, moving forward, the dirt car will come first.

“Me and Kim saved all our money. But, I cannot retire if I run the dirt car and take Kim on cruises,” Kenny Wallace explained. “When I said I’m going to run dirt races. I meant just that. I’m going to run the dirt car as much as I want. TV will be secondary.”

Steve Cradock is the SVP of NASCAR Production at Fox Sports. “Steve says, ‘You catch me off guard. Why don’t you want to do TV anymore?’ ”

“I said, ‘Steve, I’m tired of being on the road. I’m on the road, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.’ I’m at the hotel room all by myself. And you can’t do no partying at those NASCAR tracks anymore.”

“I gotta be honest with you. It got very depressing on a Friday and Saturday night. Watching Mike Harrison and Ray Bollinger at Spoon River or Lincoln. I’m watching them on my phone. There my dumbass is, in a bed.”

“My wife says, ‘I’m gonna go to the casino.’ I’m like, ‘This is bullshit. I don’t like my life. I don’t like being in a hotel room when all of you are racing dirt. It’s a shitty life.”

Your life will not change unless you change your life. That’s what Kenny Wallace always says. In other words, he’s taking control of his own life.

“I like TV. But, I’d like TV a lot more if they’d pick me up in a helicopter at my front door and drop me off at the race track. If I have to go to one more mother-fuckin’ airport. I can’t stand airports.”

“People are complete pricks. Everybody will spend $300-600 on an airplane ticket. But, they will not spend $25 on checking their mother-fucking luggage. That pisses me off. I do not like that.”

“This shit is over and over. It becomes like groundhog day … I’m 55 years old. I like TV. But, I don’t like the process anymore. So, I just want to go dirt racing.”

Kenny Wallace and Jordan Anderson Share Space at Kenny Wllace Racing in Arnold, MO

The dirt program

We’ve all heard it, Kenny Wallace has been accused and sentenced for having all that NASCAR money. It’s rarely a negative thing. Until something happens on the race track. That’s when the derogatory ‘NASCAR Kenny’ phrase surfaces.

He does have two race cars. One is a Lethal Chassis and the other is an Impressive Race Cars machine. Somehow, those things translate into ammo for your common hater.

“I wanted to set the record straight. Am I wealthy? No. Do I have a little bit of money? Yes. And I have just enough. Nothing extra.”

“You look at Scott Bloomquist, Billy Moyer. It just seems like it’s now or never.”

“I built all my own race cars. Just because you see me on TV, that don’t mean shit. I live in Arnold, Missouri. Hello?”

Wallace also catches shit for having good race cars. I’m not sure when race car drivers ever accepted slow race cars. But, the fact that ‘NASCAR Kenny’ is running a dirt modified sets people off.

“My brother Rusty taught me something I’ll never forget. He said, ‘You know those son of a bitches that say, ‘Oh he’s in a good car?’ Duh. They don’t say, ‘Oh he won the race. But it don’t count because he’s in a fast car.’ ”

“At Tri-City Speedway, their not gonna to say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, the winner is Mike Harrison. But, he’s in a slow car so he gets an extra trophy.’ That ain’t the way the shit works. That’s shit they dream up on their own.”

“So, here’s the point… I want the fastest fuckin race car. That’s all there is to it. And all the dirt racers I talk to, that’s their goal is to build the fastest mother-fuckin’ race car.”

“You can’t win in a slow car.”

Kenny Wallace in the 2017 Gateway Dirt Nationals 4487
Kenny Wallace in the 2017 Gateway Dirt Nationals
Dirt Modified vs Super Late Model

Some will understand running the best dirt modified program you can. But, those same people will ask why he doesn’t move up a class and run a late model. I’ve actually asked Kenny that question before. But, it wasn’t that I was trying to spend his money for him.

To me, I knew the costs were at least twice as much for a dirt late model but the payouts are as well. That was the only reason I asked. I thought he would end up in the same spot, budget wise. However, Kenny is here to explain that the costs of running a dirt late model are far more than twice as much.

“The reason I do not run a super late model is because the mother-fuckers are out of hand. The reason I ran a modified is because it’s tolerable for me. It’s affordable.”

“How much money you think I got? I already won in those bitches. I started dirt racing at 41, I’m 55 now. I don’t run a super late model because the mother-fuckers will break you. They will break your balls in half.”

“I don’t want to hear, ‘Oh buy a used chassis.’ Forget all that. If a man wanted to buy a super late model right now and you went to Rocket Chassis, it’s $90,000.”

Brian Shirley commented to correct him. Shirley stated the price is $100,000. He also said a motor rebuild is $15,000.

“If you wanted me to run Pevely. I could put something together for $30,000. But, I’m not interested in that. They’re financially out of hand. Me and Billy Moyer talk all the time. I have no idea how those guys stay alive. They all have a lot of sugar daddies. Me? I pay my own fuckin’ bills.”

“A modified motor at Mullins is $27-30,000.”

Kenny Wallace
Kenny Wallace talks with fans in the Tri-City pit area (Photo: Shane Walters)

Kenny Wallace had plans to run a B Mod to cut the cost of his racing program even further. He bailed on that idea.

“The only reason I don’t run a B-Mod is cause the fuckers would cut my dick off.”

Wallace is under a microscope. If he did that, the fans would accuse Wallace of cherry picking. But, that’s really not how this works. Every class has their super stars. It’s not like baseball where the talent level rises through the minors to the big leagues.

In racing, every division is full of rock stars at the front of the field. Talent doesn’t divide our sport’s classes. Sense and a budget are the only things dividing our classes. How broke do you want to be and how fast do you want to go?

“If you’re going to buy a new modified. It’s $18,000 in parts and the man deserves $10,000 for building the car. So, $30,000. When we were powder coating and building our own race cars, I’d spend $20,000. But, I spend a lot more than that now.”

“The way I decide where I’m going to race is what kind of mood I’m in. And gas money.”

“I’m all in.”

Kenny Wallace details his racing program

More

Related: Kenny Wallace talks his pending retirement

Related: Kenny Wallace comments on the closing of Furniture Row Racing

Related: Kenny Wallace talks about his love of dirt racing

Related: Kenny Wallace has a warning for dirt track promoters

Related: “I blew through my budget this year” -Kenny Wallace

Related: Jordan Anderson used Kenny Wallace’s dirt racing shop to prepare his NASCAR Truck for the next race after Gateway

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