Kenny Wallace is never afraid to speak his mind. When the brother of NASCAR Hall of Famer and former racer Rusty Wallace says something, you can trust him and take his words to the bank. That’s one of the main reasons why the man nicknamed “Herman” has hundreds of thousands of loyal followers on social media.
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On Thursday’s episode of Coffee With Kenny, Wallace made a very poignant comment that should resonate with both longtime NASCAR fans as well as those who are more newcomers to the sport.
“You’re getting ready to see NASCAR like you’ve never seen it in your life,” Wallace said. He then issued a warning of sorts to fans who are not happy with today’s NASCAR — or even more so, tomorrow’s NASCAR.
“If you want to jump off the boat right now, now’s the time. Because NASCAR is going to look way different,” Wallace said. But NASCAR isn’t going to make wholesale changes. It’s still going to keep much of the old, but also spice things up with a whole lot of the new.
“I don’t want you all to get depressed because you know Martinsville’s still here, we brought back (North) Wilkesboro, we brought back Rockingham,” Wallace said.
“So let’s be clear: NASCAR is keeping its heritage but NASCAR sees value (like when) they said, ‘The next time we ever build a racetrack, it’s going to be in the city with developers and development… We’re not going to do it by ourselves.’”
Consider where NASCAR has built tracks over the last three decades
Wallace also noted that NASCAR will never build a new track in the future in rural areas like they did in the last 30-plus years in places such as Kansas City (Kansas), Joliet (Illinois), Homestead (Florida), Fort Worth (Texas), Las Vegas (Nevada) and Iowa Speedway (Newton, Iowa). But don’t think NASCAR has put the brakes on expansion.
On the contrary, earlier this week, reports surfaced that NASCAR may be considering a street race in San Diego. That could happen either as a standalone race, or San Diego may replace the Chicago Street Race, which is hosting its third straight year next month — and rumors are it will likely be the last year downtown in the Windy City.
Technically, NASCAR and Chicago have a 10-year agreement for a street race, but only the first three years are guaranteed. After the checkered flag falls on this year’s race on July 6, NASCAR could theoretically walk away from the Second City.
And then on Wednesday, NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell said the sanctioning body is in talks to have a race inside Franklin Field — much the way NASCAR held the preseason opener for three straight years at the Los Angeles Coliseum, which no longer hosts a race there any longer.
“Steve O’Donnell, the new president (named NASCAR president this past March), says ‘The days of us building a racetrack in a rural area is over,’” Wallace continued. He then added a quip, “You say to yourself, ‘What the hell is going on and why?’”
There is additional talk that NASCAR is looking at potentially expanding its current schedule from 36 to 38 races (plus the preseason Clash and the All-Star Race, both exhibition non-points events), meaning NASCAR would race 40 times in 52 weeks, the most grueling schedule of any major professional sport.
And now that this past Sunday’s Cup debut in Mexico City was a success, it’s likely NASCAR will return south of the border again next year. But NASCAR might also look toward the north border — in Canada — in the next few years. No specific cities have been named, but likely candidates could be Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton and even Halifax.
What’s more, NASCAR might one day aim to put itself in a position to hold points-paying races in Europe, as well as in countries like Japan, Australia, India, China, or perhaps Brazil or Colombia in South America.
Yes, NASCAR is on the move. To exactly where next is anyone’s guess. But to repeat what Wallace said, “You say to yourself, ‘What the hell is going on and why?’”
