Kenny Wallace has never been
known for silence.
One of the most quotable drivers
in all of NASCAR, the nine-time Nationwide Series driver calls it like he sees
it, speaking candidly on the topic of the day. His outspoken style makes him a
favorite with reporters from Daytona to Fontana and earned him a permanent spot
on SPEED’s NASCAR Race Day broadcasts.
This week, however, Wallace has
been uncharacteristically silent. He has not commented on RAB Racing’s new technological
partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing, a partnership that will see Wallace’s No.
09 Toyota renumbered 99 for action sports star Travis Pastrana, who will wheel
the entry in a number of races this season.
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| Wallace: "I'll tell you why I've been quiet..." |
“I’ll tell you why I have
been quiet,” said Wallace in an exclusive interview with Sirius XM NASCAR Radio’s
Sirius XM Speedway with Dave Moody. “I’m
a lover. I’m a good guy, and I have a fun time on Twitter with 100,000 of my followers.
There are about six followers who don’t like me, and it seems like whenever I
say something, it’s wrong (to them). With the announcement that RAB Racing is joining
forces with Michael Waltrip Racing and Travis Pastrana, I thought, `You know
what, I’m just going to let all that happen and not say a word.’ Because every
time I say (something) on Twitter… people retweet it and think (I’m) being
negative.”
Wallace said an incident
last week reinforced his desire to remain silent on the RAB/MWR alliance.
“During the race (at Texas
Motor Speedway), I tweeted, `I want to thank (ESPN analyst) Dale Jarrett for
pointing out that someone bought my ride, and I will be back in the car at
Talladega.’ I tweeted that, and hell, I didn’t think anything of it. Later, I was told that I should have tweeted,
` I want to thank Dale Jarrett for pointing out that someone brought sponsorship’ (instead).
“I guess I ruffled a few
feathers by saying someone bought my ride. I don’t know the difference between
`bringing sponsorship’ and `buying a ride,’ and I got in trouble for saying that.
Six fans (on Twitter) stirred up a bunch of crap, went over to Ryan Truex’s
page and said, `Kenny Wallace says you bought that ride.’ He didn’t know what
was going on; he’d just gotten out of his car mad after blowing up. So he goes
on my Twitter page and says, `I did not buy the ride, I brought sponsorship.’
“(I think) 99.9% of the
people love me,” said Wallace. “But there’s that 0.5% who have miserable lives
and just want to stir crap up. I knew this Michael Waltrip/Travis Pastrana deal
was getting ready to happen, so I just kept my mouth shut (to avoid) making
those five people mad.”
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| Wallace will drive for RAB Racing again. |
Wallace said he understands
the reasons behind the partnership and is “grateful that Michael Waltrip
realized we needed help. It’s good for the team… but when it went down, I had
friends calling me up, wanting to know if I was going to kill myself. I just didn’t
want to deal with everybody (asking about it).”
He said he holds no
animosity toward Pastrana, Truex, or any other driver who fills the seat of the
RAB Toyota this season. “I love RAB Racing,” he said. “They brought me back,
and we were in the deal 50/50 last year. I brought some money, (team owner Robby
Benton) put some money in and it was all a good deal. I never got paid a dime,
and I’ve made a big deal out of that because I wanted everybody to know I’m a
racer.
“People say. `How do you
feel about what’s going on right now?’ (And I say), `Hell, I never got paid in
the first place! So I didn’t lose the job. I didn’t lose the ride, because I
was never paid anyway. Losing a job means they’re taking money out of your
pocket.
“I’m grateful for everything
that’s happened,” said Wallace. “I’m going to have six really strong races with
American Ethanol and Family Farmers; six quality races. I’ve talked to my
bosses at SPEED, and they’ve said, `We’ll put you on some shows if you’ve got
some down time.’ So I’m going to run (my dirt modified) and make as much or
more money than I ever made.”
Wallace said rumors that he
and Benton have been at odds recently are inaccurate.
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| Kenny's TV role may expand. |
“At Phoenix, I said I felt like a bozo,” admitted
Wallace. “Our car was black (with no sponsors), and I wore my words on my
sleeve. I say what I think, but I have never, ever said anything bad
about my team. Robby got upset with me, because he thought I was looking for
sympathy. (He said), `Herm, you’re trying to make people feel sorry for us.’ I
said, `I’m sorry, I didn’t think you felt that way. I’m just beating the
streets, begging for sponsors.’
“Robby Benton and I get
along real good,” said Wallace, saying he believes a misunderstanding caused by
a recent internet article gave the illusion of a rift between the two.
“Robby’s real shy, and at
Phoenix, (SB Nation reporter) Jeff Gluck came up and interviewed him. He said,
`Robby, what do you think about Kenny getting on Twitter looking for
sponsorship?’ Not thinking anything about it, Robby said, `I just don’t agree
with the way he’s going about it. I don’t want people feeling sorry for us.’ By
the time Gluck got done writing the article, it sounded like Robby was mad.
Here on radio, you can hear my tone (and know I’m not mad). But when it comes
out in an article, (it sounds different).
”Robby was devastated,” said
Wallace. “He came up to me before qualifying and said, `Herman, Jeff Gluck did
not do us any favors.’
“I said, `You said something
bad about me, didn’t you?’
“He said, `I didn’t, but it
came out that way.’
“I told him, `I did an
interview with Jeff Gluck last year, and I’ll tell you exactly what happened. I
love him to death, but (when we sat down, I spoke) in Kenny Wallace tones. I
cuss a lot, I drop f-bombs every other word around my close friends. And when
the article came out, it was a verbatim interview. When I had been interviewed in
the past, (the reporters) cleaned up the cuss words. But when this article came
out -- and it was a great article -- it was verbatim. He did the same thing to
Robby.
“I told Robby, `He was recording
that interview. You have to know who you’re dealing with and make sure you say
it exactly how you would say it on the radio.’
“(The interview) made it
look like we were fighting, but we weren’t,” said Wallace. “It just snowballed out
of control. We have a meeting Tuesday at two o’clock. We love each other. We’ll
give each other a hug and say, `Holy cow, that really got out of hand!’
“I don’t blame (Gluck) for
anything,” insisted Wallace. “(It’s his job to) create stories that drive
people to SB Nation. All I’m saying is that when you give an interview, you’ve
got to be careful.”
