The Tulsa Shootout at the SageNet Centre was a successful racing festival that delivered some of the best dirt racing action. With a total of 1,798 entries registered for the event, the competition was tough. So much so that the seasoned dirt racer and 2-time Chili Bowl winner had to rely on a clutch win before he could lift multiple trophies.

It’s fair to say that NASCAR drivers like Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson’s races were extensively covered by the FloRacing crew. And the same can be said for the likes of junior drivers like Brexton Busch and Owen Larson, who were trying to get their Golden Driller win. But this favoritism and special preference weren’t taken well by the parents of the other young drivers at the Tulsa Shootout.

Well, young racers carrying family legacies are likely to get attention whenever they compete. But was the special treatment of Brexton or Owen discriminatory towards the other driver? Well, veteran driver Kenny Wallace has shared his take on this saga. He also offered advice to heartbroken parents who saw their kids being neglected and sidelined.

Kenny Wallace shares his take on the Tulsa Shootout controversy

The veteran driver sympathized with the parents, who were dejected to see their kids not getting enough attention from the media. “It came to my attention that Owen Larson, Brexton Busch, and a lot of these NASCAR driver’s kids were getting too much attention, and a lot of the moms and dads were devastated; they were hurt that their child was not receiving TV time.” He said this while speaking on his YouTube show.

Well, the attention that was showered on Brexton and Owen wasn’t just because they were kids of NASCAR drivers. They raced well in their class. Both the young drivers notched up wins in the heat races and managed to qualify for the main event in the Jr. Sprints. This is where Wallace shared another harsh reality about racing and also schooled parents for forcing their kids to race at a tender age.

“I truly believe you mom and dads want it more than the kids. You take these three and four-year-olds and tell them you want to race, don’t you? Hey, you want to be a race car driver, don’t you? And the kid doesn’t want to disappoint you, the boy or the girl… When you go to the Tulsa Shootout you’re against all odds you’re going up against thousands of others, it’s the toughest place.” Wallace explained.

Well, in Brexton’s case, he won the Junior Sprints, starting the final race on the pole and leading all 20 laps to clinch his first major win. The nine-year-old was heartbroken after his previous attempts and had worked hard throughout the year for this moment. Moreover, his parents, Kyle Busch and Samantha celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary at Tulsa Shootout. Thus making sacrifices to see their child excel at the race track. So, it is fair to say all the TV time and attention he received was because of his hard work and the merit of clinching a Golden Driller victory.

As it turns out, this wasn’t the first time Wallace aired out his frustrations against the culture of forcing kids to take on racing. He even blamed Jeff Gordon for kickstarting this trend that is now followed by every parent in the hopes of success on the NASCAR stage.

Wallace had an interesting take on driver development

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Back in the day, most of the NASCAR drivers started their journey working in the garage or a race shop. Even those who did start early raced on pavement, but that isn’t the case now. With midget racing and late-model dirt events, young racers start their journey as early as five. Jeff Gordon was the one who initiated this trend of developing his skills on the dirt before eventually breaking through at NASCAR.

Sharing his take on the young driver’s development, the veteran driver added, “So nowadays if you don’t get these kids in a race car racing at 5 years old, you’re considered behind, and I blame all that on Tiger Woods, Jeff Gordon. I remember Tiger Woods being on Johnny Carson show as a baby, and hear all these years later, oh my god, and then the same with Jeff Gordon… Society doesn’t allow you to wait anymore; they want everything hurried up, and here’s another thing: they love youth.”

Tiger Woods was the youngest player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur title at 15 years of age. He was also the first player to win three U.S. Amateurs in a row and gave up his amateur status by age 20 and posted two wins in 7 PGA starts. This emphasizes Wallace’s point but also notably, these are anomalies. Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest that golf has ever seen and he was like that since day 1. In NASCAR, young stars come and go, but only the very best get to stay at the top. Starting young is the best way to have an edge over your competitors and the children of NASCAR drivers have a much better opportunity at that.

Not all the race car drivers who start early get a big breakthrough later in their career. But, again, the young racers can only grind it out early in hopes of a big opportunity later in their career.