“The System Is Broke”- Kenny Wallace Hands a Reality Check to Complaining Kyle Larson 2.0 Hopeful Parents

Now, if one’s a budding racer or an athlete who aspires to become the next big something, there’s one question that always lingers in an individual’s mind. How do I become the next Michael Jordan in the NBA or the next Kyle Larson in NASCAR? How does one become the greatest athlete in their respective field? Just like the popular Hollywood monologue, to be the best, you have to beat the best.

While discipline, commitment, and work ethic are all tools that one has to have in their arsenal, it’s the sheer obsession to become the greatest that drives an individual past his or her limits. Dropping another fascinating episode of Coffee with Kenny, NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace uncovered the harsh reality he and his brother Rusty Wallace and their family went through to get them where they are today. The veteran addressed the age-old question of how a parent makes a champion out of their child prodigy.

Kenny Wallace acknowledges the elephant in the room, addressing the Larson example

It is indeed a dream for many parents to see their children excel in anything. But does a parent groom a budding athlete or young racer to become tomorrow’s champion? Now, that’s one question that the whole world has been asking sportspeople since day 1. Unlike other sports like basketball, baseball, or MMA, motorsports are a bit different when it comes to launching a young talent into the racing universe. While the above-mentioned fields require grit, work, and determination like we do in NASCAR, money has become the norm for budding racers.

Beyond just maintaining race cars and churning out the last bit of horsepower from the engines, the travel from race tracks to race tracks itself can be tiring and can put a hole in the pocket. Reflecting on this question, Wallace gave his take, saying, “If you want your child to be the greatest of all time to be the next Kyle Larson, you cannot sit there and go, we have no money, the system is broke, nobody is giving me any money. I’d say get out and if you got no money, well, you better find it.”

Mentioning his brothers’ and his road to the top, the dirt fanatic cites that talent and skill won’t get you anywhere unless one is willing to chase greatness. He said, “Rusty made it he was the first one to make it plus Rusty is loaded with talent, my brother Rusty is just damn good, my brother Mike is damn good and I’m pretty damn good but we made it happen by busting a**, we understood from the beginning that you know if we’re going to do this, we better find some money.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Larson wins his own Sprint car series, faces backlash from fans 

Veteran Wallace briefs about his family’s grind and drive that propelled him into racing

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For one, racing is not for the faint-hearted. Going balls to the walls in an overpowered rocket ship on a track filled with super-competitive drivers is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. But to get to that point, that itself is a journey fuelled by hard work and an unwavering spirit. Addressing the fan’s questions about making their child the next Kyle Larson, Wallace briefed them about his upbringing and how his older brother and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Rusty Wallace, made it into the racing scene.

Kenny Wallace said, “Listen, Doug Bland’s got a beautiful example out there, I’ll try to share it with you on how to go about getting sponsors but quickly what we did, my mom went to Union Jack, they were in front of all venture stores, we had a CMC stereo system, go to our local businesses, try to get money so you can go 2 hours up.”

READ MORE: Seemingly Losing Playoff Momentum, Can NASCAR’s Favorite Villain Denny Hamlin Overshadow Kyle Larson at Vegas?

The former race car driver then emphasized how important it is to go out of one’s comfort zone, to venture into newer territories as he drew a perfect comparison between his brothers. “You got to find it or you cannot do this, you got to make it happen. So that was our story, right? Remember Mike raced around home, Rusty traveled, Rusty made it he was the first one to make it plus Rusty is loaded with talent,” said the veteran.