Conversation: Kenny Wallace

CONCORD, N.C. -- It's lunchtime, Super Bowl Sunday, and Kenny Wallace is cruising up the interstate taking his daughter to see a softball hitting coach.

In an obvious moment of absolute boredom during the 40-minute trek, Wallace dials up NASCAR.com's Marty Smith for a chat. Anytime Wallace is on the horn, it's a priceless sound bite yearning to be captured.

Aware of this, Smith records the session, during which the two discuss everything from Sen. John Edwards' (NC) shot at the Democratic presidential nomination to the Carolina Panthers' chances in the big game to the art of laying down the law on unsuspecting boyfriends.

And, oh yeah, there's some racin' dialog, too.

Q: Well, Kenny, you're dropping back to the Busch Series this year as Stacker 2 scales back, but you've been telling me how excited you are about this team.

	Kenny Wallace

Wallace: Yeah, I'm excited just for the fact that there's a lot of teams and drivers out there that don't have a sponsor, or even a ride. So to have Stacker 2 back for the third year, and have a great car owner like Bill and Gail Davis to field me a Busch car, it means a lot to me.

Plus, I've got the crew chief I always wanted in Chris Rice. Chris was around when I first made my debut with the Hills Bros. car and we ran real competitive. So from that standpoint it's going really good.

Q: I know Chris pretty well. He's absolutely insane, much like yourself. I'm sure you two have some rather hysterical conversations.

Wallace: Chris is on my level. You know, we're real serious when we need to be and loads of fun when we want to have fun. For example, when we were out in Las Vegas we tested hard, we were the last car off the track both days.

When the red flag was waving we were still on the racetrack pulling onto pit road. And when it's all over, we'll talk about the car, then go have fun. He's really aggressive. He's like my brother, like a soul mate. He's real fun to be around, real good guy.

KENNY WALLACE  •  Driver Page  •  BDR team page

Q: If you would, assess your experience the past couple years. I can remember how excited you were that Bill and Gail gave you that chance, but it doesn't seem to have worked out quite like you'd hoped.

Wallace: Well, my whole Cup career has been like a heart monitor -- up and down. I'm real appreciative to all the people who have given me the opportunity, but when you look at it, it just hasn't worked out how I've wanted it to. I'm not done with Cup. I'm going to work hard to get back into Cup.

Bill and Gail gave me an opportunity to drive for them, and when I drove for them in the Hills Bros. car we ran up there in the top-15 at the end of the 2002 season. So I thought everything was going to be really good. Then, things changed. I lost Chris Rice. Tommy Baldwin left. Bootie Barker left.

The whole face of Bill Davis Racing changed, and I couldn't get back that success that I had at the end of 2002. I'm real appreciative of Bill and Gail. They're good people. And we just have to move on. One thing I've always learned is don't cry over spilt milk. So it's on to the Busch Grand National Series now.

Q: There's been a lot made of ephedrine lately. With Stacker 2 being your sponsor, how has that effected the marketing program for those guys? Is it going to be all ephedra-free now?

Wallace: The president of Stacker 2 is a marketing genius. He always knows what's right around the corner. He told me a year ago about this ephedra issue before anybody even knew about it. That's why you see their new Y.J. Stinger energy drinks come out.

They have a lot of ephedra-free products. I don't really know how it affected sales. All I know is they're still selling a lot of ephedra-free product, their making the Y.J. Stinger drink, and in every truck stop and every little convenience store, you see Stacker 2 products. They say everything is going good, and that's all I really need to know.

Q: That is all you need to know (laughing). So long as it's paying the bills, right?

Wallace: That's right (laughing).

Q: Now I don't know how into politics you are, but our boy Sen. John Edwards is making a run at the Democratic presidential nomination. You think he's got a shot?

Wallace: Well, I'll tell you, I kind of agree with ol' (Bill) Clinton, there. They need to find an agenda and stay on it, beat it like a drum. I think, right now, it's a wide open race. I think (Sen. John) Kerry was a surprise, obviously. Edwards finishing second there in Iowa was a big boost for him. He's got to win South Carolina. If you can't win in your hometown, where can you win?

Q: How about the Carolina Panthers? I don't know if you have any buddies on the team or not. You think they have a shot this evening?

Wallace: I'll be honest with you, I hope they win the Super Bowl, but my heart was broken. I'm a St. Louis boy, born and raised, and anything to do with St. Louis -- you have to remember, I own a home back there and we go back there a lot. The Panthers are an incredibly big team.

My gosh, when I was down on the front row watching that game, I didn't realize how big their defensive and offensive line was. I think that's the hidden talent. My God, no wonder those guys can get outside, because the line is big and can run so fast. That's why their game is so good.

Q: So you actually went to the game Carolina won in double overtime?

Wallace: I was there, and I'm going to tell you what -- I wasn't right for two days. It was like a dream. It was "Aww man, we're gonna lose. The Rams are gonna lose. Hey! The Rams are gonna win! Aww, we're gonna lose. Hey! We're gonna win." Then, when we lost ... that 69-yard touchdown pass. I mean, you could have dropped a pen in St. Louis, Mo., when that happened. It was a crushing blow.

Q: St. Louis is a big time sports town. You always hear about Boston and New York, but people are Cardinals freaks, man.

Wallace: I think I can give you a good example. When we were there, there was a lot of Panther fans around me, and they all recognized me. I had my Rams jersey on, and they looked at me and said, "Hey, you're Kenny Wallace." And I said, "Yeah, nice to meet you." And they said, "Well, who you rooting for?" And I said, "Well, obviously the Rams." And they said, "You know what? This is the greatest sports town. Everybody's really, really nice." And I said, "Well, that's what St. Louis is all about."

We know that to win, we have to compete against somebody -- unlike Philadelphia, where nobody wants anybody to come to their town. But I think that summed up St. Louis. It's about sports. We know we have to compete against people, so we welcome everybody in.

Q: Here's a question for you. It seems to me that, still, on national sports panel shows, where various journalists are interviewed, NASCAR still doesn't get the respect that we all feel it deserves. Why do you think that is?

Wallace: I know exactly what you're talking about. Every once in a while I'll be watching ESPN and they'll make fun of us with some smart ass remark about "them boys that go around in circles" and "the only reason the sport's so big is because of corporate America."

I think it's because they're ignorant. They don't know about our sport, and it makes them mad that our sport's so famous. When you grow up in high school and all you know about is ball and stick, it's hard for people to change. It's like our point system, a lot of people don't want to embrace it because they don't like change.

I think a lot of the sportswriters in America are just really upset that our sport is so big. They're jealous, is what it is, because they don't know enough about it.

Q: Drives me crazy, for sure. Speaking of the points system, give me your assessment of that. They're not doing the 26/10 deal in the Busch Series, but you know Cup competition and what it's about, so tell me what you feel about it, and if you think it'll really inject a ton of excitement into the Nextel Cup Series.

Wallace: I was very impressed, when I was out in Vegas testing, Paul Brooks and Brian France actually came to my Busch car and asked how I was doing and asked me what I thought.

I said, "It's really big of you guys to come over here." I told them, "Hey, you guys have some big balls doing this, and I applaud you for that." That's exactly what I told them. But I also them I'd like to see a little bit more points awarded for somebody that wins. You can win 10 races and only gain 50 points.

Q: I agree wholeheartedly.

Wallace: Now, on the other hand, I think it's a real good deal. Because, hell it's going to be a championship within itself. On the 24th race, can you imagine the buildup of who's going to be ninth, 10th and 11th in the points? It's going to be like a championship race just for those spots.

Q: Yeah, that 26th race, at Richmond in September, is going to be a shootout.

Wallace: Oh, yeah, it's going to be incredible. So there's that excitement, then there's the "Chase for the Championship". But my theory is this: If it doesn't work out they can always change it back. They can tweak on it a little bit. I understand what they're trying to do.

Very seldom does someone have a championship won before the season's over, and I do have to agree with that. Like the Panthers -- just because they beat the Rams didn't mean they'd won the Super Bowl yet. And, in contrast, you can't have a champion in racing with four races to go. I think I understand where they're coming from.

Q: Do you think the person that builds a big lead after the 26th race, then sees it cut to five -- the "regular season champ," if you will -- should be rewarded in some way?

	Walace with team owner Bill Davis. Credit: Autostock

Wallace: Yes, I do. If I had a 300 point lead with 10 races to go, and they wiped it out, I'd be pissed. I mean, you work so hard. But we're in a new era. Things change. Nothing's the same anymore. I think one thing I learned as a senior in business, is you have to be willing to change with the times.

Q: Every time I talk to you these days it seems like you're with your daughters. Your going to a basketball game, taking one to softball practice, going to school, doing something. You're Mr. Mom, dude.

Wallace: Well, I'm gone so much that -- I think my middle one changed me a lot, because she used to get on me and say "Dad's gone all the time and doesn't know what we're doing." When I was a boy, man, boys are tough. As long as their dad's around, that's all they need.

Girls want more attention. When I'm at home, now, even if they don't want me to do something, I say, "Come on, we're going." She didn't want to go hitting today, but I said, "You're going," because that's my job now. Girls are a lot more temperamental than boys, I know that. My dad? Hell, he was never around, but I knew if I needed something he'd be there for me. Girls like their dads.

Q: You ever had to lay the law down on a boyfriend?

Wallace: Ohhhhh, gosh yeah. We're going through that right now with my oldest one. Brooke is, uh, a real good-looking girl and all the boys like her, and she's being crushed right now. So we're going through that right now.

Q: Come on man, give me an example.

Wallace: Well, my youngest one is 13, she doesn't have anything to do with boys, yet. My middle one, Brandi, she really doesn't want a boyfriend yet. She just wants to flirt with all of them and have a good time. Then my oldest one, she's 17 and ready to settle down and have a husband.

Q: WHOOAAAAAA! What?

Wallace: Yeah, I know. She's a lot like her mother. She's been going out with this boy for, I guess, a year-and-a-half, two years. And he went out partying one night and didn't tell her, and everything blew up.

So right now, it's a very temperamental situation. I can't talk to her too much, because she tells me to stay out of her business. But yet, I have to make sure I'm in her business. It's real hard for me.

Q: Gear switch. The Busch Series will be tough this year.

Wallace: The Busch Series is totally changed by the fact that people truly enjoy running it. People are comparing the Busch Series to Cup now, and what I mean by that is you've got Roush Racing backed by Pennzoil now, you've got me back with Stacker 2, you've got Johnny Benson back, Kevin Harvick just loves the Busch Series, Johnny Sauter.

You've just got an incredible amount of great drivers. Look at Greg Biffle -- he's gonna run both of 'em. I have never seen a year in the Busch Series where a Cup driver wants to run the Busch Series so badly. So, the Busch Series is healthier this year than it's ever been.