After Exposing “Corporate“ NASCAR’s Obsession, Kenny Wallace Applauds Dale Jr for Hiring Denny Hamlin

In the world of NASCAR, change is as common as a pit stop, but lately, the biggest shift is the stranglehold sponsors have on the game. If you don’t have a sponsor to sweet-talk the money gods, you might as well start packing your suitcase right there on the track. Gone are the days of unbridled racers and unscripted drama. Now, it’s all polished and PR-approved. Even the most talented drivers must watch their words and follow the sponsor’s script.

One guy who’s seen this transformation up close is the respected NASCAR reporter, Bob Pockrass. He recently spilled the beans on the Kenny Wallace Show, and together with the racing veteran Kenny Wallace, they dissected the metamorphosis of the sport into “corporate NASCAR.”

Breaking free from the corporate grip: Pockrass on reducing sponsorship influence in NASCAR

Where the rubber meets the road, there’s a constant tug-of-war between the raw, unfiltered past and the sanitized, corporate present. Pockrass, who’s been knee-deep in NASCAR since he started as a sports writer for the Daytona Beach News-Journal in 1991, is a voice who’s seen it all. Today, he’s an on-air talent for Fox Sports, still observing the ever-evolving beast that is stock car racing.

During the latest episode of the “Kenny Conversation,” Wallace opened the door to a topic that’s been lurking in the garages: the corporate takeover. Wallace, in his classic, unfiltered style, stated, “The sport is too corporate; we all know that. It’s because the sponsors don’t want their drivers saying anything wrong to dilute their sales.”

He continued, “So, you’re a journalist, did you like it better when Rusty threw the water bottle at Dale Sr? Did you like it better when Dale Jr. got fined for saying ‘sh*t’? What is your opinion? Are we too cleaned up? Is that why we don’t have the decals and the drama? I mean, it was more fun back then. What’s your opinion?”

Pockrass acknowledged that the corporate grip is real, saying, “My opinion is that the sponsors still have way too much influence, but they pay for that influence.” He added that the solution might be to make teams less reliant on sponsorship, allowing talent to shine. “It would potentially allow them to be a little bit more themselves.”

Wallace, in his usual candid style, nodded in agreement, saying, “Yeah, well, there’s no doubt we’ve definitely, on purpose, dumbed the drivers down.” He highlighted Joe Gibbs stalwart, Denny Hamlin, known for his “Actions Detrimental” podcast under Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s media empire, “Dirty Mo Media.” Hamlin’s unapologetic openness and refusal to censor his thoughts have definitely raised many eyebrows in the sport.

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Wallace commended, noting that his outspokenness is good for the sport, “That’s why I like Denny Hamlin. I like actions detrimental. I think, although it makes NASCAR wiggle a little bit uncomfortable, it’s like you’ve said, you’ve got to go outside your comfort zone. Dale Jr. hired Denny Hamlin, and I think it’s really good for the sport.”

Denny Hamlin outcry against NASCAR’s ‘wild’ 2024 schedule: skill or luck?

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Actions Detrimental has served as a platform where it seems Hamlin has become the ringmaster, and he’s been cracking his whip in every direction lately. His latest target? None other than NASCAR itself.

With the 2024 schedule freshly minted and a load of wildcard races tossed into the playoff mix, the rumble of controversy echoes. The playoffs start with a high-banked 1.54-mile drafting oval in Atlanta, followed swiftly by a jaunt to Watkins Glen. But Hamlin didn’t tiptoe around the issue.

NASCAR’s Senior Vice President Ben Kennedy tried to defend the changes, claiming they wanted to “introduce a little bit of variety.” He said, “Introducing a drafting-style track like Atlanta to the Round of 16, to follow it up with Watkins Glen and then the Bristol Night Race is really going to test the variability of our drivers and their skills as they think about punching their ticket to the Round of 12. Something we wanted to do that was a little bit different and shake it up a bit.”

Read more: Racing Community Livid as NASCAR Bids Farewell to Daytona Amid Massive Calendar Overhaul

But Hamlin was having none of it, roaring back, “I don’t like it. You’re testing their luck; you are not testing their skill.” he continued, “One of the common quotes you hear from the leadership is that we like to test out drivers. That’s silly. You’re testing their luck; you are not testing their skill.” 

It’s a classic case of the establishment versus the maverick. While NASCAR brass insists they’re adding variety to the mix, Hamlin thinks it’s just rolling the dice. With 2024 just a few numbered races away, it remains to be seen how this change will ultimately affect the sport.