As things stand, NASCAR has been in shambles ever since the text chains of the sport’s top brass went public. Not only did Steve Phelps berate one of the sport’s most iconic figures, but the messages also shone a light on their alleged monopolistic practices through the conversation surrounding the Tony Stewart-co-owned SRX series.
Kenny Wallace, a former NASCAR driver and one of the most vocal voices still active in the sport, has mostly taken a stance against the management’s actions, particularly given his understanding of how they affect the drivers and the sport. However, when the topic of ‘putting a knife’ in the SRX series came up, Wallace decided to side with NASCAR.
Kenny Wallace Drops Shocking Take On NASCAR’s SRX Series Approach
Last week, the NASCAR world was in for a major shock when the text chains of the sport’s top management from years past became public knowledge. Apart from the discussions around Richard Childress, the conversation between Steve O’Donnell and Steve Phelps regarding Denny Hamlin’s participation in the SRX series shed an ugly light on the management.
23XI and FRM have continuously alleged that NASCAR has monopolistic control over the stock car racing market. The talk of ‘putting a knife’ in the SRX series has just added fuel to the fire.
While most people now stand entirely against NASCAR’s approach, Wallace has turned heads by claiming he understands why the management said what they said.
Speaking to Chase Holden via his YouTube podcast “Motorsport Report,” Wallace became the devil’s advocate in many people’s eyes. He said that, at the time, the SRX series was being aired on ESPN and had started earning better ratings than the Truck and the Xfinity Series. Therefore, the rising popularity became a thorn in the management’s side. It was one they needed to pluck out quickly, given the billion-dollar deal going on behind the scenes.
Per Wallace, “So, SRX was supposed to be for us older, retired drivers. Lots of fun. Then all of a sudden, Denny Hamlin, then our main drivers were going over there. And they were on ESPN, their competitors. And the ratings were bigger than Truck and Xfinity. So these emails that we’re seeing, they’re not brand new.
“Obviously, SRX has been gone for two years… And the reason they want to put a knife in SRX is because their drivers were hurting them by going over there while NASCAR was negotiating for a billion-dollar-a-year contract. So I understood that one,” Wallace gave his take.
The SRX series was an event co-founded by Stewart, Ray Evernham, George Payne, and Sandy Montag, with Evernham also designing the cars that took part in the competition. However, he departed from the series after its inaugural season, with Donald Hawk stepping in as its CEO for the final two campaigns.
Within those three years, the SRX series originally featured veteran drivers such as Wallace. Still, then, the premier drivers such as Hamlin started racing there too. In the year before Hamlin’s participation, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks had also competed in an SRX event, sparking heated discussions between Phelps and O’Donnell.
To make things even more worrisome for NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s negotiations and the eventual purchase of the CARS Tour series were already acting as an event that had the potential to rival NASCAR’s ratings.
Eventually, the SRX series was discontinued due to a lack of sufficient financial support and has been in storage for the last two years. However, the text reveals a new story altogether — one that could change the sport as we know it.
