Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace has never been afraid to stir the pot. His popularity — especially on social media — comes from his willingness to tell it like he sees it and call out others for what they say or do.
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Wallace is currently challenging the claim of longtime friend, former NASCAR Cup driver, and current TV analyst Jeff Burton, who said that NASCAR is not beholden to or influenced by its TV partners.
Even though NASCAR will receive nearly $8 billion over the eight-year span of its current rights agreement with FOX, NBC, Amazon, and TNT/CW, Burton insists that officials will make their own decisions and not be swayed by TV networks, even on rumored changes to the current playoff system.
“Hold on a second, I hear that all the time,” Burton said while guesting on this week’s edition of the Door Bumper Clear podcast. “I want to be clear about something, and I’m in these meetings: TV doesn’t make these decisions, okay? NASCAR makes these decisions.
Here’s what @JeffBurton wants fans to understand about TV’s influence ♂️ @FreddieKraft | @TBR7NY | @KarsynElledge3 pic.twitter.com/kidAfvxjRy
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) September 16, 2025
“When this format that we are currently racing under, I was in every damn meeting. TV didn’t make that decision. They had a seat at the table, as did drivers, as did car owners, as did the tracks. TV didn’t say, ‘here’s your format, this is what we’re doing.’ That’s not how that happened.
“And the fact people think that’s how it happened, I don’t know where that’s coming from. And if anyone thinks TV wrote a prescription on here’s how you’re going to do this, that’s bulls**t!”
Now, it’s hard to argue with a guy once known as “The Mayor” of NASCAR for his even keel, fair-minded, and transparent approach to the sport.
Okay, You Call B.S., Now It’s My Turn to Call B.S. On You
After Burton called BS, Wallace fired right back and called BS on him.
Wallace, the younger brother of NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, was highly skeptical of Burton’s claims that he had been in meetings with NASCAR and other groups, as he suggested.
“He said TV don’t have anything to do with NASCAR, they don’t make any decisions. I know, because I’m in the meetings,” Wallace said, mimicking Burton’s words.
That prompted Wallace to quip back, “Really? Maybe not NBC, but guess who worked for FOX Sports for 14 years? Me. Mwah. I mean, when you think about things like the LA Coliseum out there in LA, when we ran three years in a row out there, that was FOX Sports. Dirt at Bristol.
“Listen, I love Jeff Burton. He is the man. I could never ever go against him. But, you know, there’s a lot more to this than meets the eye. Okay?”
Somehow, it seems like this feud between longtime friends is just getting warmed up. As Wallace often likes to say on his daily videocast, “Stay tuned!”
