In recent months, NASCAR executives have found themselves in the line of fire, not only from sections of the fanbase but also from long-standing partners tied to the sport’s roots. Prominent figures connected to the prominent sponsor Bass Pro Shops reacted sharply after internal messages leaked during the antitrust lawsuit, revealing that senior NASCAR officials disparaged veteran team owner Richard Childress with unflattering language.
Terms such as “idiot,” “dinosaur,” “stupid redneck,” and “clown” struck a nerve, not merely because they targeted Childress, but because they symbolized a broader disrespect toward the people who helped build stock car racing into what it is today. Fans, particularly those who identify with the sport’s working-class and Southern heritage, did not shrug it off.
Following the settlement of the antitrust lawsuit involving 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, NASCAR has begun a visible effort to cool tempers and mend fences. That outreach has not been limited to team owners alone. It has also extended toward the so-called “redneck” fanbase that has served as the backbone of the sport. Former driver and outspoken NASCAR personality Kenny Wallace appears to welcome that shift.
Wallace pointed to NASCAR’s recently released promotional spot for the 2026 Daytona 500 as evidence that the sanctioning body is attempting to reset the tone. According to Wallace, the league enlisted outside creative help to repair the damage and leaned deliberately into an old-school identity. The commercial, in his view, taps into a familiar energy that resonates with the fanbase.
Wallace joked that he could have given NASCAR that advice himself. In his words, “I’d have told them what to do, how to get back in the good graces of all of us rednecks. I love it. So, do you like it that NASCAR is trying to apologize? I do. Do you still want to be mad at NASCAR? Do you want to be mad at them longer?”
For Wallace, the apology matters less as a gesture and more as a recognition of what the sport represents to its core audience. He said he remains curious to see how far NASCAR will go with this renewed embrace of its roots and what kind of imagery and messaging will follow.
The commercial in question, released on December 27 to promote the 2026 Daytona 500, was shot inside a bar, where patrons trade memories about the race and moments of the event’s long-standing legacy. It relies heavily on nostalgic footage, highlighting junctures such as Dale Earnhardt’s 2001 Daytona 500 victory and the Thunderbirds flyover, deliberately pulling viewers back to an era many fans consider the sport’s golden age.
Notably, the video has avoided footage from after 2016. With ongoing debates about stage racing, playoff formats, and the impact of the Next Gen car, the omission seems intentional.
Wallace described the scene where a skeptical bar patron questions the race’s significance, only for a “redneck” fan to launch into a passionate monologue delivered with the intensity of an Earnhardt loyalist. The moment ends with Zane Smith remarking, “I get what he’s saying.”
For Wallace, that line captured NASCAR’s attempt to say, without spelling it out, that it understands why fans feel the way they do. Whether that message truly lands remains to be seen, but the effort itself suggests the sport recognizes that respect for its past is not optional.