“You better learn how to run that mouth like I have mine in my whole life”: Former NASCAR driver reveals using ‘sell’ tactics to survive in the sport
Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace revealed how to stay relevant in stock car racing despite underwhelming performances. On Friday, November 15, Wallace opened up about an incident when he was asked how he ensured himself a seat for 26 years in NASCAR.
The Missouri native retired from NASCAR following his penultimate race in 2015 at the Iowa Speedway. Wallace competed across all Series- Cup, Xfinity, and Truck, but stayed for the longest in the NXS, for 547 races spanning 26 years. During his tenure, he collected nine wins and 173 top-10s.
Wallace couldn't etch a win in the Cup Series, ran 344 races through 18 years, collecting 27 top-10s. His Truck Series career remained brief, with 13 races over five years and four top-10s.
While talking about the recent sponsorship changes in NASCAR, Wallace said that when he gets asked by people about decades' worth of tenure, he reveals his recipe.
"People would say to me and I always brag on it. People say to me, 'Herman (Wallace's nickname), you aren't very good, how the hell did you stay in NASCAR for 905 races?' and I said, 'That's simple. You got to skin the cat the different way,'" Wallace said (2:10).
The dirt racer elaborated on what he meant by the 'skin the cat the different way' comment and uncovered his 'sell' recipe.
"I tell these kids these days, 'If you want to race, you better learn how to run that mouth like I have mine in my whole life.' Because I sell product first."
Wallace presented an illustration in which he openly promoted his sponsor JEGS and praised them for their high-performance aftermarket car parts to exemplify what it took him to stay in NASCAR.
Following his retirement, Kenny Wallace continues to pursue his dirt car racing endeavors and still races in over 60 events a year.
Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace discloses his conversation with dirt track racer about promoting oneself
With the current state of the sport, a championship-winning driver or one having such caliber is expensive to sign, and big-pocketed and veteran teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, Richard Childress Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing might be able to afford it without a sponsor.
While prominent drivers such as Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson, to name a few don't face struggles with getting sponsors, the less prominent drivers sometimes do. How much sponsorship they can bring along plays a role in getting a NASCAR seat.
That said, Kenny Wallace shared a conversation with a dirt racer, Adam Stricker, where he talked about promoting oneself to stay relevant. Wallace said.
"Adam Stricker, great dirt racer, he's really good dirt racer but he's just lost. He said, 'Man I'm really good just can't catch a break.' I said its because you don't promote yourself," Wallace said (3:04).
Wallace said that Stricker felt embarrassed to promote himself to gain traction and the former countered with another dirt racer Bobby Pierce's example.
"I said, 'Adam, you gotta quit being afraid to promote yourself. Being shy is one thing, you can be shy, but you better promote yourself," Wallace said (3:44).
Pierce and his fiance Abby Jo Foster regularly share social media updates and promote themselves through fun videos. As a result, many fans recognize the drivers at the track due to Pierce's social media affairs.