Outspoken Insider Lashes Out at Fans as He Unravels the Dark Side of Dirt Race Finances
Like Kyle Busch said in an official press release a few days ago: âThe Cup season may be over. But the racing season is still in full swing with the biggest events on dirt taking place over the next couple of months.â Indeed, the dirt track racing world is gearing up for a busy schedule in the NASCAR off-season. Rowdy is prepping to make his USAC midget racing debut at the much-anticipated November Classic at Bakersfield Speedway, just a week away. Heâll be going head-to-head with fellow Cup racer Kyle Larson, whoâs reconnecting with his dirt racing roots in this quick break away from NASCAR.
 Their appearances certainly bring some much-needed shine to the rough-n-tumble world of grassroots short-track racing. However, Missouriâs own Kenny Wallace, whoâs no stranger to getting down and dirty on the local circuits, has a few choice words for the broader racing community. And you can bet heâs ready to stir the pot on topics many racers have been quietly stewing over.
Kenny Wallaceâs mic drop: âYou have to win to make a dentâ in dirt racingADVERTISEMENT
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The buzz began when Kenny Wallace dropped a payout chart from the 28th annual Turkey Bowl that lit up Springfield Raceway from Thursday through Saturday. Behind race winner Terry Phillips, who earned the lionâs share of the race purseâa cool amount of $6,064, Kenny Wallace finished fifth and took home only $700, nothing too out of the ordinary in the world of dirt-track racing.
He took his No. 36 Jegs-powered Dirt Late Modified to a solid top-5 finish. However, fans online held a bone of contention over the amount he took home once Wallace posted tSidhe figures on Twitter. In his own words, from a recent video address on his social media, he began, âSo, I posted, only on X, the payout from the Turkey Bowl at Springfield, Missouri, and it was a really good payout. It was $6,064 to win. $3,000 for second, $1,500 for the third. And I run fifth, and I got $700⊠I have done this. I have posted pictures of payouts periodically through the years. Not a lot. But periodically and it amazes me, some of the commentsâŠâÂ
âI donât want to call people dumb aâ-,â said Wallace. âBut in some of the comments, I see people. Theyâre like, âBut Kenny Wallace, you got Jegs as a sponsor.â So the fans are mad that I didnât make enough money? No, thatâs what it really is. Kenny reflected that his $700 earnings came as no surprise. âThatâs the way itâs always been,â he asserts. âThat way whenever there is a big dirt race, second place is always going to be 50 to 60% less. So, if it pays $3,000 to win, for example⊠Itâs going to be $1,300 to $1,500 for second. Thatâs dirt racing.â
Maybe thatâs exactly how it is, but thatâs when Kim, his wife of over 30 years, entered the frame of his passionate rant against the economics of dirt-track racing. So Wallace used her expert opinions to add extra weight to his argument. With her seasoned insight, Kim Wallace distilled her husbandâs fiery statement into one crystal-clear truth: âItâs a hobby for some. They might try to make money, but itâs hard.â
A similar lack of parity is also evident at the Dirt Track World Championship events. The annual dirt race has a very big difference when it comes to how the prize purse is split. While the winner gets the massive sum of $100,000, second place gets only $20,000. This number keeps falling for the rest of the top 10, with the 10th place driver making only $4,000 for their performance in the race.
Regardless, Kenny Wallace wasnât done. He continued his monologue and aimed at those fans unfamiliar with the expenses dirt track racing drivers incur. âThere are some of these people on (the internet) that are like, âDid they give you free pit passes?â No! I paid for my pit passesâ$40. Even the kid that I interviewed.â The 61-year-old referred to a separate video on his X account, where he conducted an impromptu interview with a fellow short-track racer loading his machine on a flat-back across the street. That âkidâ Wallace met was budding Batesville wheelman, Connor Wheeler.
Wallace made sure to drive home a key point. Guys like Jonathan Davenport and Ricky Thornton Jr. arenât owner-drivers. That essentially means, âThey donât pay for the motors. They donât pay for anything. They get a percentage for driving the car. Thatâs how they make it.â Compared to the circumstances prevalent under the brighter lights of NASCAR-sanctioned events, ordinary dirt track racers do not get all the benefits, and itâs no surprise. Hence, to shed light on the contrast, Kenny Wallace broke it down to give fans a more detailed look at life at the top tier of stock car racing compared to the grind of local dirt tracks.
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A harrowing financial divideTrendingKenny Wallace is no stranger to the expensive ways of NASCAR. He is a three-time winner of the Busch Series Most Popular Driver award. His older brothers, Mike and Rusty, have won races sanctioned by the sportâs governing body, the same as Kenny. But itâs Rusty who stands out as the only Wallace ever to hoist a NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy, a distinction that sets him apart in his familyâs storied legacy on the track.
Rusty Wallace won the 1989 Winston Cup championship with the iconic #27 team under drag racing icon Raymond Beadleâs ownership. But he rose to household acclaim in NASCAR, driving the #2 car for Roger Penske. The 86-year-old team owner recently became a 5-time NASCAR Cup Series champion with Joey Logano. That was reason enough for Wallace to compare the financial dynamics by examining Team Penskeâs thriving stock car racing operations.
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Wallace explained, â[Penske] buys the building; he buys the cars; he buys the motors.â But then comes the driverâs job to get the sponsorships. And itâs not just the big backers paying for the entire show. He detailed the divisions in income: âThereâs what you call the purse and thatâs what NASCAR gives you from the people in the grandstands⊠Then, second is TV moneyâŠ. They share the TV money. Then they got the charter system money. Itâs kind of like the union. âOh, youâre going to race with us, are you? Then weâll give you this if you run every week and you sign up. And if we ask you to do appearances, you do appearances to help promote the sport.ââ
âSo, in NASCAR thatâs the way it is,â concluded Kenny Wallace. While not every dirt track event can boast a jaw-dropping payout like the Eldora Million, or capture the spotlight quite like a NASCAR race, one thing remains clear: the gap between dirt racing and NASCAR has never felt smaller. Thanks to the rise of alumni like Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson, the heartbeat of grassroots racing continues to echo loudly in the world of NASCAR.
