“I made all my money during the glory days”: NASCAR legend backs Kyle Busch’s claim that current Cup drivers will earn half of his earnings

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace agreed with Kyle Busch's statement about drivers making more money back then. Wallace said he was “very lucky” to compete at a time when the American stock car racing series was lucrative.

Wallace, who debuted in the early '90s, had over 900 starts across NASCAR's three national series and won nine races during his Xfinity career. He was able to compete against Busch before retiring from NASCAR in 2015, a period that seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson described as financially challenging in a 2021 interview with Graham Bensinger.

In an X post, the 61-year-old backed Kyle Busch, who argued that the newer generation would make half of what he did back in the day.

“True. I was VERY LUCKY to be in (NASCAR) when it was really big. I made all my money during the glory days,” Wallace wrote in response to a fan.

Kyle Busch's statement came during a media interview at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week. The Richard Childress Racing driver was asked whether he believes his generation, alongside Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski, was the last to have such long careers, given that drivers in their era started young. He responded by saying that the current generation will also have long careers because they’re earning less than he did.

The 63-time Cup race winner is the longest-tenured active driver on the grid, having debuted as a full-time Cup Series driver in 2005. Hamlin debuted the following year, while Keselowski held his rookie year in 2010.

This year, the 40-year-old is in his third season with Richard Childress Racing. Unfortunately, he hasn't returned to the victory lane since winning three races in the #8 Chevrolet Camaro in the 2023 season.

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“I don’t think money has ever been the objective”: When Kyle Busch wished to stay at Joe Gibbs Racing under his market value

In 2022, Kyle Busch was left in a tough financial spot after his long-time sponsor, Mars/M&M’s, was set to leave NASCAR at the end of the year. The Las Vegas native said he was willing to race under his market value just to stay in the #18 Toyota.

During the race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course that year, Busch stated (via NASCAR):

“I don’t think money has ever been the objective or ever been the issue [...] Obviously, I know what the sports landscape is, I know what’s happening. The talk from my side was that I know there needs to be concessions made and to race for under my market value, and I’ve accepted that and told everybody that, and just trying to see where all that lies.”

Kyle Busch drives the #8 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing - Source: Imagn

However, the re-signing negotiations fell through, allowing Kyle Busch to join Richard Childress Racing starting in 2023. Busch, who ran his first three Cup Series seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, parted ways with JGR after 15 seasons, including two championship-winning runs in 2015 and 2019. The #18 car was replaced with the #54, driven by Joe Gibbs' grandson, Ty Gibbs.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl