Kenny Wallace claims Dale Earnhardt Sr. “was bigger than NASCAR”

Ex-NASCAR racer Kenny Wallace has shared the true extent of the superstardom enjoyed by seven times Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.


Kenny Wallace claims Dale Earnhardt Sr. “was bigger than NASCAR”

Kenny Wallace and Dale Earnhardt (Via IMAGO)

One of the major issues the critics has had over the years about NASCAR is the lack of superstars in the sport. Unlike the peak time of the sport with Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, the sport no longer has the pop-culture influence it once had. Recently ex-racer Kenny Wallace explained the extent of the influence those big names had via a post on social media.

He recalled the how bog seven times Cup champion Dale Earnhardt had on the sport, making him bigger than the sport ever was. Kenny Wallace asserted that the old saying that ‘You’re never bigger than the sport’ was not applicable for the Hall of Famer and added that senior NASCAR officials would agree with it.  

Dale Sr. was bigger than NASCAR. You know, there’s that old saying ‘You’re never bigger than the sport’. I’m telling you right now, I talk to anybody about that, I would talk to Steve Phelps, I would talk to Mike Helton, I would talk to Jim France, in those days Dale Senior – he was bigger than NASCAR.

Kenny Wallace said via a video shared on X.

The veteran dirt racer then went on to highlight how the fans were crazy about the late racer. He asserted Dale Sr. had the power to ask the fans stay at home, just like some of his fellow superstars.

FS Video

He could have got on radio or TV and said ‘everybody stay home’ and all the fans would have stayed home. That’s what superstars were back then.

Kenny Wallace added.

Kenny Wallace recalls magical days of NASCAR

In the same conversation, Kenny Wallace recalled how the fans would flock the road when Dale Sr. would leave his motor home to head to the garage. He highlighted how the legend would always have police escorting him and hailed those time in the sport as magical.

Kenny Wallace
Kenny Wallace (Via IMAGO)

Whenever Dale Senior would leave his motor home to head to the garage, he had to have two police escort him because the people were literally hanging on the fence and screaming. Those days were magical. It was so big, I mean these guys were like Elvis Presley, they were superstars.

Kenny Wallace said.

The comments from Kenny Wallace shows the level of fandom the sport is missing at the moment. If the current drivers can replicate anything closer to this, has the potential to put the sport in a much better position than where it is at the moment.