One of the biggest problems about being siblings, especially when they’re famous siblings in NASCAR, is when fans, media, and even fellow racers make comparisons between brothers. Such was the case with the three Wallace brothers – Mike, Rusty, and Kenny Wallace.
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The trio grew up in St. Louis, following in the footsteps of their father and local racing hero Russ Wallace (who won over 400 A Main features in his career), before each staked out to earn their fame and fortune in NASCAR.
Oldest brother Rusty, born in 1956, was the most successful of the trio, earning a NASCAR Cup championship in 1989, winning 55 races in 706 career starts, and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013.
Middle brother Mike, born in 1959, was a NASCAR lifer, competing in 197 Cup races (with no wins), 497 Busch/Xfinity races (winning four), and 115 Truck races (winning five).
And then there was the youngest Wallace brother, Kenny, born in 1963. He didn’t start racing until the late age of 22, but made up for lost time quickly. He made 344 Cup starts (0 wins), 547 Busch/Xfinity starts (nine wins), and then barnstormed across the U.S. and Canada for a decade behind the wheel of his dirt modified.
Mike, Kenny and Rusty Wallace 1993 pic.twitter.com/TotTPc0QM2
— Wusty Rallace (@WustyRallace) January 5, 2025
Kenny and Rusty also went into broadcasting, both during and after their racing careers. The irony is that while Mike was pretty much on his own, Kenny was constantly being compared to Rusty.
Kenny recently appeared on The Last Lap podcast with AJ England and reflected upon the comparisons with his older and more successful brother. But the eldest Wallace brother also helped his kid brother because of the sacrifices Kenny made early in his life working as a fabricator, mechanic, and crew chief alongside Rusty as he was going up through the ranks in the Midwest.
As Rusty became successful, he helped “speed up” Kenny’s racing career.
“We had no money, but Rusty called me up and said, ‘Herm’ (Kenny’s nickname is Herman), I want to pay you back for everything you’ve done for me,” Kenny recalled. “I’m going to move you south and put you in the Busch Grand National Series.’ November of ’88, (Kenny and wife Kim) we move everything (to Charlotte).
“Rusty put me right into the big time. I mean, I raced three years (in the Midwest) and then, boom, put me right in the big time, and before I knew it, I was in the Cup Series. I was like, ‘Holy moly.’ So, I went to the big time quick.
“The moral of the story is this: when I was in the Xfinity Series, I was a hero because I won nine races, Dale Earnhardt loved me, everybody loved me. But then, when I went to that next level, the Cup Series, I didn’t get what I wanted. I didn’t win. And then came the whispers: ‘He’s not his brother. He’s not as good as his brother.’
“And I was like, ‘Oh, God, no. I could have told you that before I started.’ I worshiped Rusty, I worshiped my father, my mom, my brother. That’s when I realized I was different. I’m like, ‘Oh my god, these people think I’m better than my brother.’ Then, when I got older, I realized (critics) were just being mean. And I’m like, ‘This is crazy.'”
Kenny Wallace also helped Dale Earnhardt Jr. realize he’s his own person
Among the countless friends Kenny acquired in his racing career was Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kenny gave Junior a life lesson that he’s never forgotten.
“We’re at Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway),” Kenny recalled. “Junior and I had been friends way before he was a race car driver (due to Kenny’s and Rusty’s friendship with Junior’s father, Dale Sr.).
“He was pouting. I could tell he was upset because I know him. I went over to him, and he’s super mega famous. I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ He looked at me and goes, ‘I’m supposed to be Dale Earnhardt’s son and I qualified 25th.’
“And I said, ‘Oh my god, Junior, quit listening to those people.’ And I realized right then it was everybody and everything, Junior’s not his Daddy, Michael Andretti is not Mario Andretti. It goes to the nth degree.
“People gauge you and me more than we gauge ourselves. And of all people, it was Britney Spears (who) said it best. She said, ‘It is none of my business what you think of me.’ And I said, ‘Damn, that is brilliant.’
“I had to learn what happened to these people (who unfairly compared Kenny to Rusty). Why are they mean? Why? What? And then what if I was better than Rusty? What would it be then? Would Rusty’s feelings be hurt?”
In giving a valuable life lesson to Junior, Wallace touched on how the nature of competition requires athletes to have the thickest of skins. Constantly under the radar and scrutiny for their every action, one cannot simply let outside noise affect how they perform, and listening to outside noise does exactly that—affect your performance.
