Kenny Wallace shares his no-nonsense verdict on NASCAR’s "voodoo man"

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace recently remembered an interesting figure from early stock car racing days named Billy Wood. He said no NASCAR driver messed with Wood, who he described as the "voodoo man" for bringing good luck and curses to racetracks.

Dubbed Willie the Warlock, Billy Wood taught himself how to read and could identify all types of cars at a young age, even memorizing the license plate numbers for all NASCAR teams and haulers. Some teams incentivized Wood for hexing cars for bad luck, with Ned Jarrett giving him $100 for cursing an on-track opponent for the win in 1965.

While Wood formed camaraderie in the sport, some weren't a fan. He tried to curse Richard Petty, but it didn't work, saying the seven-time champion didn't believe in such things. NASCAR executive Bill Gazaway, meanwhile, described the incentives from teams as extortion.

In an X post, Kenny Wallace, who won nine races in the Xfinity Series, recalled the "voodoo man" and wrote:

“There he is. NO @NASCAR driver messed with the VOO DOO man.”

Billy Wood was active between the 60s and 80s, a time before Kenny Wallace joined NASCAR. Wallace started competing in the 90s against notable drivers, including seven-time champ Dale Earnhardt Sr. and his brothers, Rusty and Mike.

Wallace retired from the sport in 2015 before serving Fox Sports as an analyst for a few years. He currently hosts a podcast called Herm & Schrader, where he interviews stock car racing personalities with former NASCAR driver Ken Schrader.

---

“My lord”: Kenny Wallace left amused by F1 crowd at Silverstone

Last week, Kenny Wallace was impressed by the crowd that turned up for seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone in the UK. The 1989 Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) Rookie of the Year interpreted the scene as motorsports being alive and well.

Wallace reposted Scuderia Ferrari F1's post on X and wrote:

“My lord😳 Racing is alive and well🏁.”

Silverstone is Lewis Hamilton's home race, where he has won a record nine times. He now drives for the Prancing Horse after 12 seasons with Mercedes, a team instrumental to his six championship-winning runs.

Hamilton entered this year's British Grand Prix as the defending champion. However, he missed out on a podium finish in P4 despite a solid effort in the rain-stricken race. McLaren had a 1-2 finish led by home hero Lando Norris, with Nico Hulkenberg scoring his first podium in 239 starts.

The 2025 British GP witnessed a record-breaking crowd attendance of 500,000 spectators. That's about two times more than the highest attendance in NASCAR in races like the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400.

Lewis Hamilton in the #44 Ferrari during the 2025 British Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Regardless of popularity, Kenny Wallace argued that racing in NASCAR is better than F1. He believes that people go to an F1 race because they enjoy the experience. Meanwhile, attendees at a NASCAR event go not only for the experience, but also for the racing.