"He told everybody I'm not a Sr." - Kenny Wallace shares why fans ignored Dale Earnhardt's preference
Kenny Wallace recently talked about how NASCAR fans still call Dale Earnhardt "Senior".
Late NASCAR driver and team owner Dale Earnhardt won seven Winston Cup championships in his 27-year career. When Earnhardt's son entered NASCAR in the late 1990s, fans started calling the two "Senior" and "Junior" to avoid confusion.
In the recent episode of 'Coffee with Kenny', Wallace highlighted a tweet that said, "I am sick and tired of you all calling Dale Earnhardt 'Dale Senior'." And, explained that Earnhardt always made it clear he did not want to be called "Senior."
"There was an interview years ago where Dale Earnhardt, the man in black, said, "I'm not a Senior." You had Dale Earnhardt, right? So if I say "Dale Earnhardt," we all know that means the man in black, number three," Wallace said. (04:39)
Wallace later asked if it is still okay to call him Earnhardt "Senior" now that he’s passed away.
"We know we know that the man in black number three Dale Earnhardt. We know that he told everybody I'm not a Senior. But is it okay still all these years later since you know, we lost the legend. Is it okay to call him Dale Senior still?" Wallace queried. (05:52)
Earnhardt is considered one of NASCAR's greatest drivers with 76 Winston Cup race wins. He raced between 1975 and 2001, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.
"It's not funny from their standpoint, but it's funny from mine" - Kenny Wallace on recent NASCAR penalties
Kenny Wallace also talked about the recent penalties by NASCAR after an investigation into the race data and team scanners. Three teams including Trackhouse Racing and Richard Childress Racing were penalized for manipulating the final laps of the Martinsville race last weekend.
After Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon were fined $100,000 and lost 50 points, both their teams tried to appeal the penalties. However, Trackhouse’s appeal was quickly rejected and Richard Childress decided to drop the appeal.
Wallace commented on the situation (via Coffee with Kenny), saying:
"Then Richard Childress, being the smart man he is, said, "Okay, Trackhouse lost their appeal right away, and Richard goes, 'I think we'll just withdraw our appeal.'" So that's all there is to it. It's not funny from their standpoint, but it's funny from my standpoint because it's like, "We're gonna appeal this, damn it!" It's like, "Richard, you sure," Wallace said. (01:48)
NASCAR also issued a $100,000 fine to Bubba Wallace and his team lost 50 owner points. The three drivers' crew chiefs (Phil Surgen, Justin Alexander and Bootie Barker), along with spotters (Brandon McReynolds, Brandon Benesch and Freddie Kraft) were suspended for the final race at Phoenix.