"I still disagree": Kenny Wallace responds to Denny Hamlin calling him out over 'NASCAR is not a real business' claim

A spirited debate has ignited in the NASCAR world after Kenny Wallace and Denny Hamlin clashed over whether the sport should be considered a “real business.” The debate started when Wallace commented that NASCAR is not a real business and it survives primarily because of wealthy team owners like Roger Penske and Rick Hendrick, rather than pure financial sustainability. Cup Series driver and team owner, Denny Hamlin, pushed back strongly on this.

“It’s amazing they have trained people’s minds like this… to believe that a sport generating billions shouldn't be considered a real business,” Hamlin said via X.

Denny Hamlin

@dennyhamlin

@Kenny_Wallace It’s amazing that they have trained peoples minds like this. To believe that a sport generating Billions shouldn’t be considered a real business..

In a recent video titled “My Response To Denny Hamlin Calling Me Out Over The NASCAR Lawsuit,” Wallace responded to Hamlin’s criticism of his earlier comment, stating that his intention is not to attack Hamlin personally and explaining that both of their NASCAR worlds are pretty different from each other.

Kenny Wallace started the video using an Artificial Intelligence response to his question, "Is NASCAR a business?" and then continued with his response to Denny Hamlin.

"Denny Hamlin is right. Denny, I love you. I always choose you to win the championship. Sports is a business; however, there are different categories of businesses, right? Yes, NASCAR is a business, but I still don't believe NASCAR is like what I call a real business. So, although NASCAR is considered a real business, I still disagree. I have my categorisations." Kenny Wallace said via YouTube.

Ultimately, the conversation highlights a growing divide between NASCAR’s past and present. Wallace represents an old-school, boots-on-the-ground perspective. Hamlin, meanwhile, is pushing NASCAR into the future, corporate, structured, and undeniably business-driven.

And maybe they’re both right. NASCAR is still racing, but it’s also growing into something much bigger than just a weekend sport.

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Kenny Wallace makes his prediction on the 2025 NASCAR Cup champion

With the NASCAR Cup Series reaching its latter stages of the season, people around the community are making their predictions for the driver and team winning the championship this year, with the latest one to join being Kenny Wallace. Wallace is an active member of the community and presents his views on various topics in NASCAR through his social media handles.

Wallace predicted his name for the driver he expects to be the Cup champion this year on Coffee with Kenny, his talk show on YouTube.

"I’m going to go with William Byron. And here’s why. Because William was so consistent all year long, and he had a lot more races won than he actually won, but got beat like the slide job." Wallace said.

He further predicted his picks for the second and third positions, naming Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell as the probable drivers to finish in the runner-up positions.