Former NASCAR racer and the son of the legendary Richard “King” Petty, Kyle Petty, has never been one to swallow his words. A strong expresser of criticism or favoritism, he has always been brutally upfront with his opinions. His ongoing controversies with Bubba Wallace and his not-so-good outlook on the Darlington Raceway are a couple of testaments to that.

With the first race of the round of 12 at the Texas Motor Speedway, he appeared alongside former racer Kenny Wallace on his YouTube show. And once again he had some harsh declarations to make, NASCAR bearing the brunt this time.

Kyle Petty is not a big fan of NASCAR’s character of killing creativity

In the recent past, NASCAR has deemed it necessary to bring about new rules and regulations that will keep racing a safe and controlled ordeal. While safety and technological advancements are one side of the coin, on the other side is an equally important aspect: engagement. With the increasingly stringent list of Dos and Don’ts, that side could take a hit. And Kyle Petty wasn’t in line with that outcome.

Talking to Kenny about the “New” NASCAR, he got into discussing his take on the $400,000 fine that was levied on Rick Hendrick earlier this year.

Despite taking a liking to the increase in fine amounts for rule breaches, he said, “I don’t like it and I don’t like to see them because I like creativity and I like to see people use their minds. I’d like to see another Leonard Wood in this sport. I’d like to see another Ray Abraham in this. Somebody creative like that but they kill the creativity with the rules and that’s just the way it is.”

Kyle’s opinion was more along the lines of caution for the thin line that NASCAR was threading. Understanding where NASCAR was coming from with its huge penalty figures, he said, “If I allow Kenny Wallace’s team to touch it [get away with penalties], it’s going to spread through the garage area like wildfire. So I have to slap you hard to send that message. And I think that’s where they’re at with all their rules and all their penalties.”

Appreciating the higher amounts, he emphasized that they had to do a good job of not turning the races boring. However, he also conveyed his admiration for the unruly character of the sport to always look between the lines of the rulebook.

Watch This Story: Kyle Petty Highlights a Figure Who Faces Greater Challenges Than Bubba Wallace

The former racing veteran displays admiration for the sport’s unrelenting character

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Earlier in March this year, the racing promotion had gone down hard on Hendrick Motorsports for modifying air-deflecting pieces in an area of the car that wasn’t approved. A combined fine of $400,00 was levied for all 4 HMS cars, making it the highest fine amount in history. This incident was the root of Kenny’s discussion with Kyle Petty. As the former asked if teams had finally received the message that NASCAR was trying to send with HMS being fined, Kyle talked about how it is in the nature of the sport to always try something that meddles with the lines between the rules.

Drawing parallels with MLB and the NFL, he expressed how NASCAR doesn’t quite stick to the rules in the same way and said, “Everyone would take the NASCAR rule book and say ‘Hmm, how can I get in between these two rules?’ You know? And that’s just what you did and that’s what you did from 1949 the first time they ever ran a cup race.”

More recently, a fine was levied on Ty Majeski and his team ThorSport Racing for manipulating the tire pressure on their trucks in the Craftsman Truck Series. In the light of such clear violations, the higher fine amounts from NASCAR would go a long way in meaning business. But at the same time, the promotion has to make sure to allow space for strategies and creativeness, as Kyle Petty has said. Particularly now, with the larger audience that they’re trying to reach.

Read More: Veteran Spotter for Brad Keselowski Confused About Ty Majeski’s Decision That Could Cost Him a Championship