‘Ripped Me a New A-hole’ – Kenny Wallace Breaks Silence On His Alleged Deal With NASCAR

Kenny Wallace has heard the rumors, and he’s done staying quiet. The NASCAR veteran and podcast host faced a firestorm this week after fans accused him of being a paid promoter for the sport. In a fiery “Coffee with Kenny” episode, Wallace dismantled conspiracy theories, financial allegations, and criticism of his unwavering NASCAR positivity.

Kenny Wallace’s Blunt Rejection of ‘Shill’ Allegations

“I don’t bite everybody. I don’t bite for that. It’s silly talk,” Wallace said, addressing claims he’s a “NASCAR shill.” But for the 20% of critics, he had sharper words:

“Some of you, less than 20% of you, almost hate me. The s*** talking you do to me. I don’t like Wallace. … Horrible, I mean horrible mouths. Just like I said yesterday, ripped me a new a**hole, caught me off guard.”

Wallace didn’t mince words when confronting allegations that he’s financially tied to NASCAR. “Is NASCAR paying me? Number one, not a dime. They’re not paying me anything. Actually, it’s opposite. I’m making money off of NASCAR.”

The 61-year-old revealed he pays NASCAR annually for his hard card (pit pass), a requirement to race and access events. “I pay NASCAR $10,000 every year, and they would give me a hard card,” he emphasized.

“All of us are making money off NASCAR. I talk about NASCAR. Oh my God, if I were to ever talk about politics, I’d get my a** chewed out.” His income streams, podcasts, sponsorships, and racing depend on the sport’s visibility, not backroom deals.

Fans’ frustration peaked after Wallace defended May’s Talladega race, which drew 4 million viewers but was panned as “gridlock.” Critics accused him of trolling or taking bribes.

“You’re not going to convince me that NASCAR is doing bad when the TV ratings are up, when the grandstands are doing good, when TV is paying billions of dollars and they’re selling out sponsorship. No matter what you say, NASCAR is the biggest bang for the buck,” he fired back.

Why Wallace Defends NASCAR’s ‘Biggest Bang for the Buck’

Wallace framed his optimism as strategic, not blind loyalty. “I am a positive mental attitude person. Now, people get mad at me for that too. That damn Wallace, is rose colored glasses to him,” he said, acknowledging NASCAR’s flaws but rejecting doomsday narratives. “The totality of NASCAR is doing really good.”

He pointed to metrics: Prime Video’s sponsorship sellouts, rebounding attendance, and tech advancements reducing cheating. “Nobody is gonna pull out and pass by themselves like we used to because they were cheating,” he said, referencing past tactics like air-sucking valve covers. “Tech is tight now. That’s why racing’s different.”

But Wallace didn’t dodge hard truths. He agreed the Next Gen car needs tweaks, more horsepower, and tire variability, but rejected claims the sport is dying. “When Kyle Larson wins, he’s going to take victories away from other people and that’s going to piss you off,” he said. “Some of you get upset, it’s because your driver didn’t win. So you hate NASCAR.”

For Wallace, the backlash reflects fandom’s emotional core, not reality. “Over 75 % of the people love NASCAR. Now this is a fact. And this poll was taken by me a couple times,” he argued, citing polls and Jeff Gluck’s data.

“I’m not going to argue with 20% of you that are mad because your driver didn’t win.” His final plea? Judge races on merit, not misery.