NASCAR fans dream of hopping into a stock car and wheeling it on a circuit. What could be better than emulating your racing heroes? Ranging from Dale Earnhardt’s famed 1998 Daytona 500 win to Rusty Wallace beating the Intimidator in clinching the 1989 Cup Series title by 12 points, the veterans instill a desire in every gearhead to replicate something similar. And Wallace tried to do that.

Founded in 2010, The Rusty Wallace Racing Experience aimed to be the “largest racing school in the country.” Although things progressed well for a while, they took a downturn from 2015 onwards when fans lost trust and faith in the NASCAR racing initiative for various safety reasons. Even after its closure, they are still reeling under its economic impact.

Boasting over 80 locations in the USA and Canada, the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience (RWRE) was a major attraction. It offered Dirt Car, Exotic Car, and Formula Car experiences with prices ranging from $399 to $1699. 55-time Cup Series race winner Rusty Wallace was an active partner to the school’s president and owner, Mark Ebert until the organization suffered a harsh blow in 2014.

A civilian from Decatur, Stephen Cox received a voucher to run a few laps at Kentucky Speedway for the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience, a 30th birthday special. With a golden ticket in hand, Cox headed to the track with his father on Sept 14, signed the liability papers, and hopped into a Gen. 4 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Taking the green flag and lapping around the track twice, it was his third lap that proved to be fatal when the steering wheel detached, sending the car skidding towards the pit exit. What was shocking was that neither the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office nor the Kentucky State Police were investigating the incident with an official stating that driving schools rarely keep the authorities in loop of such crashes at all.

Other than a prepared statement in which the company offered Cox’s family condolences, then-communications coordinator Bill Coady declined to respond at the time. A lawsuit, which billed “Roughest Track in NASCAR” Kentucky Speedway as defendants, was filed post which many others came forward to uncover gross safety violations. For instance,

• Dave Buttram told the Associated Press how his racing experience was impeded when the steering wheel broke off from the shaft. Luckily, unlike Cox who was driving north of 100 mph when the incident happened, Buttram was driving at 30 mph approximately when he hit the wall and walked away uninjured. He was assisted by his son Joey who was taping it for a video upload later for YouTube. This was back in 2012.
• Although a court had dismissed the case later, Spanish tourist named Jose Cebrian Gonzales too alleged a similar happening, this time at the Michigan International Speedway. The lawsuit recorded that the amateur driver broke both his legs in the incident, only for the case to be dismissed on the finding that they had signed a waiver.

The following year saw Wallace himself stepped away from the organization. Fast forward to August 2024, RWRE officially announced that it was shutting down, declaring bankruptcy. Currently, reports of swindling have emerged, which further malign the reputation of the NASCAR legend’s venture. This notice, dated Sept 5, from the staff stationed at Colorado National Speedway is a proof enough for the same:

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Rusty was also involved in one of the first car maintenance plans. It also went bankrupt with customers losing money.

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“For  2024, it was our understanding that RWRE was taking a year off, and would not  appear at the Speedway this year. We have just learned that RWRE has, up until recently, been selling experiences that  were advertised to take place at CNS in September. We have also been informed that  people who purchased these packages have been contacted by RWRE about obtaining  a refund for their purchase, as no dates were ever booked at Colorado National  Speedway. We want you all to know how sorry we are that RWRE misrepresented their relationship with CNS. This news comes as a tremendous disappointment to us.”

Furthermore, according to a NASCAR fan on Reddit Tuesday, RWRE went back on its obligations. “If you don’t know the story, they continued to take reservations while knowing they were going belly up. Rusty Wallace’s name was pulled from the name of the company halfway through the season in the weeks leading up to closing. Most of us that had reservations found out here, some found out days before they were supposed to hit the track, rather than getting a call ahead of time that they had shut down,” the post read.

When it was shut down, RWRE stated that existing invested customers would get a refund. However, the Reddit post said that never happened. “We were instructed to get the money back from out banks, shut their website and phone down, and left it up to us. We followed the steps that their website said. Went to our bank and were denied a refund for the charge. We then emailed the “sparsely manned” email address requesting they send their info to our bank… Of course they never did,” mentioned the disappointed fan.

Then the NASCAR fan suggested taking things to court to resolve this matter. “Is there a possibility of a class action lawsuit? They knew they were gonna take the money and run. It was wrong and is an ugly stain on the Nascar community.” 

NASCAR community unites against the “scammers, con artists, and cheats”

This incident has ticked the NASCAR community as well, as they agreed that stronger measures are necessary. Falling prey to a duping scheme can be awful for anyone. Unfortunately, The Rusty Wallace Racing Experience faces accusations of being part of such a scheme, even after fans felt nostalgic when it shut down. People encouraged what the NASCAR fan suggested on Reddit, putting forward possible steps to take. “I would look into trying to contact Mark Ebert (The owner of Rusty Wallace Driving Experience) and go from there,” somebody wrote.

NASCAR’s foundation was the work of moonshine runners who illegally transported contraband and evaded law enforcement. Another fan cited this history, feeling for the people who fell prey to the RWRE illegal scheme: “I’m truly sorry you are going through this. Getting scammed is incredibly stressful and upsetting…The history of NASCAR is steeped in con artists, cheats, liars, thieves, and all other manners of dishonest people.”

Sure enough, more reports of swindling emerged in the comments. Darlington Raceway is a beloved racetrack, as winning on ‘The Lady in Black’ is a diamond on a racer’s resume. Not only did a fan lose the chance to turn laps there, but they also got tricked. “Crooks took my $500 and ran. My Dad and I were supposed to take a few laps at Darlington. Super frustrating. They said to dispute charges to get the money back but my bank required charges be disputed within 90 days.” 

Somebody else also revealed their story, wherein the banks would not believe them. “Bank wouldn’t do a chargeback either. So just out money. I called someone who claimed to be “high up” in the company and he had no idea what I was talking about. When I called too it sounded like I was on a car speakerphone.”

However, fans also pointed out that a legal confrontation may not be possible. The RWRE enterprise does not exist anymore, as they declared all their financial assets have collapsed. Somebody wrote, “The company likely declared bankruptcy so there is no one to sue. I doubt you will even get a lawyer to take on the costs of a class action lawsuit.” Yet another fan indicated something may be done from a social media campaign, by notifying the 1989 Cup Series champion himself. “Have Twitter/X? Post about it tagging Rusty.”

Overall, people are undoubtedly having a hard time because of the ripple effects of Rusty Wallace’s failed venture. Hopefully, a class action lawsuit may resolve the fans’ economic issues.