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Kenny Wallace and Jeff Gordon’s Viral Moment Explained

Gowtham Ramalingam
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Kenny Wallace (L) and Jeff Gordon (R)

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Jeff Gordon was answering questions from press members at the Phoenix Raceway during championship weekend, when one particular Noah Reed introduced himself as a member of “Kenny Wallace Media,” before putting forward his question. The organization name that he mentioned took Gordon by surprise and caused ripples of laughter throughout the room.

Kenny Wallace is a former driver who now has quite the following on social media, for his deep insights and opinions about the sport.

Gordon laughed, “Kenny Wallace has his own media company? I thought those were just TikToks!”

With the clip going viral on social media, Wallace had to come out and explain the reason behind Gordon’s words and the media room’s reaction to it.

Charlie Manlo, Wallace’s YouTube manager, had been the one to propose starting a YouTube show during the COVID pandemic. Just as they began the venture, it got off to a roaring start with thousands of followers and multiple sponsors lining up. Taking notice of all the buzz, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had given Wallace a phone call with a strongly intriguing proposal.

Wallace said that Junior had wanted to buy Kenny Conversation, the segment on which he interviews NASCAR drivers, for Dirty Mo Media. The popular icon had also wanted him to do a show with Ken Schrader. All these shows that Wallace is a part of get 50 million collective views a year. Manlo reached out to NASCAR in light of this astounding number and got “Kenny Wallace Media” rolling.

Wallace said, “So, Charlie reached out to NASCAR, and NASCAR made Kenny Wallace Media a real deal. So, we’ve got people who help us out. If you go on the Kenny Wallace YouTube show, we got all the media press conferences on there … When anybody on behalf of Kenny Wallace Media goes to the NASCAR track, they get their credentials and it says Kenny Wallace Media.”

“They go in the media room, they ask questions, and then we download that stuff on the Kenny Wallace YouTube show.” All the people in the media room, during Gordon’s interview, were longtime friends of Wallace. He clarified that this is why they all burst into laughter, hearing the former champion’s jibe. He went on to thank Gordon for the mention and took it all like a true sport.

About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 350 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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