Word of mouth can be a propagator of misinformation at times. In a sport like NASCAR, which is fast-paced, result-oriented, and followed with passion, fans can quickly jump to conclusions. At times when social media has become the tale teller, there was one piece of “news” that rendered former NASCAR driver and legend Kenny Wallace dead.
Well, Kenny might be the one to put himself in that situation, confusing the fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) and leaving behind a trail of emotional ruckus.
Kenny Wallace had a foot-in-mouth moment
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
To give some background, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr have been famously involved in preserving iconic tracks and have put forth initiatives successfully in the cases of North Wilkesboro and Eldora Speedway. With this, Wilkesboro hosted this season’s All-Star Race, while Tony Stewart‘s venue is home to the Eldora Million.
On the lookout for a similar boost, a fan responded to one of Herman’s previous tweets, notifying him about the sale of the Jukasa Motor Speedway in Ontario, Canada. To preserve the track with a racing history, the fan wanted some suitors to buy the track and bring back its glory days.
They commented, ”Hey Kenny. Beautiful track for sale in Canada, Ontario. Jakassa speedway. Formerly Cayuga speedway. Pass the word. Hopefully Jeff [Gordon], [Dale] Jr or Tony [Stewart] can look at it.”
Kenny Wallace noticed and replied to the comment, but he probably could have chosen his words better.
Kenny wrote back, “Sad deal. Kenny passed away and here we are,“ without specifying who the “Kenny” in the statement might refer to. On diving deeper into it, one might find that he was referring to the late owner of the Jukasa Motor Speedway, Kenny Hill. With Kenny Wallace’s misleading reaction to the fan’s tweet, fans misunderstood the entire conversation. Many thought it was Wallace who had departed.
Sad deal. Kenny passed away and here we are 😞 https://t.co/gepXD4u6dm
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) August 10, 2023
Jukasa Motor Speedway was functional in two spurts in time, namely, 1966-2010 and 2017-2021. It was Hill’s efforts when the ownership of the oval was taken over by him in 2014 that led to the rebirth of the track in 2017.
Hill brought in fresh capital. The then-General Manager Alex Nagy in a 2016 interview with motorsport.com was full of excitement, looking at how they have been at work to revamp the arena since last summer. He said, “We have grandstand seating for approximately 10,000 fans and also the ability to add to that number if needed. We have eight suites in our tower at this time to entertain potential partners and the way the racing surface has been redesigned, we could add soft walls if needed in the future.”
Six Nations businessman Kenny Hill died in Miami, Florida in 2021. And so did his track shortly after.
BREAKING: pic.twitter.com/KJFamttNfR
— Jukasa Motor Speedway🏁 (@JukasaMotor) November 16, 2021
Fast forward to 2023, Kenny Wallace’s reaction caused quite an emotional uproar among fans.
NASCAR fandom gets teary after Kenny Wallace’s “news”
Trending
How Late NASCAR Legend Was Forced to “Sell Everything” After Losing $10,000 to Mafia
Historic NASCAR Track Shutting Its Door After Final Run Has Racing Community Heartbroken
Tony Stewart’s Business Partner Sells Off Iconic ‘Mini Eldora’ Racetrack
HMS Legend’s Demise Has Emotional Jeff Gordon Echoing Rick Hendrick’s Humble Admission
“This Deserves Prison Time” – Bubba Wallace’s Spotter Becomes the Joke as Fans Tear Into Disastrous Beer Pouring Skills
In a misconstrued situation that left many fans shocked and emotional, Wallace could have prevented this situation from happening. Fans flocked to the post to convey it to Kenny. The comment section was filled with confusion until some fans decided to clear the air around the misconception.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
One of the fans understood what he was referring to in his statement, as he said, ” For those wondering, he referenced Kenny Hill. Former owner of the track.”
“Geez, I was a little freaked out. Rip to Kenny (not Wallace)”
Another fan said that like him, many of the other fans almost got moist eyes at the sight of such tragic news. He comments, ” BROTHER, you need to friggin specify which Kenny. So many of us started crying. I did not need this on a damn Thursday holy smokes.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
One fan had a simple and straightforward request, “Please post last names when informing us about deaths”
Watch This Story: Brad Keselowski Warns the Grid of Hendrick Motorsports Might