MARTINSVILLE, Va. —
There’s a fine line between enthusiasm and condescension, and lately, Kenny Wallace and Mamba Smith are running that line tighter than a restrictor plate at Talladega. The two self-appointed torchbearers of “positive NASCAR energy” have turned their online presence into something that feels less like fan engagement and more like a company press release. Wallace, the self-described “nepo baby” of racing royalty and longtime Trackside Live personality, and Smith, the “Chief Hype Officer” who seems to live on every NASCAR broadcast and tweet thread, have both gone from fan favorites to fan agitators — and fast.
I mean, come on. You can’t be doing this.
What’s changed? Not much, other than NASCAR being knee-deep in controversy again. Ratings are sliding week to week, the playoff format is under heavy scrutiny, and decisions from Elton Sawyer’s race control tower have been shakier than a loose lug nut on pit road. Yet instead of hearing fan frustration and acknowledging the sport’s obvious flaws, Wallace and Smith have become NASCAR’s unofficial spin doctors, telling fans they’re wrong for being upset, that everything’s fine, and that if they don’t like it, they can stop watching. Nothing screams “we care about you” like suggesting your audience take their eyeballs — and their money — elsewhere.
Look, this isn’t a call for cancel culture. Wallace and Smith are both likable, talented people who genuinely love racing. They’ve both done great work promoting NASCAR to younger and more diverse audiences. But lately, they’ve been treating the sport’s loyal fans — the ones who kept NASCAR afloat through the post-Earnhardt decline and the Next Gen confusion — as if they’re the problem. That’s not just bad optics; it’s a total misunderstanding of the fan-driven ecosystem that powers motorsports.
Umm, okay…
Wallace has spent the past year defending NASCAR leadership like a press secretary, insisting every rule change or officiating decision from Sawyer or Steve Phelps is gospel truth. Smith, meanwhile, took his “Chief Hype Officer” title to heart and turned his social media into a megaphone for corporate talking points — all while publicly clashing with drivers like Denny Hamlin, who, by the way, is in the Championship 4. His appearances on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast are supposed to add personality to the sport; instead, they’ve added PR polish. It’s starting to feel less like passion and more like propaganda.
The real issue is tone. Fans don’t mind positivity — they mind being talked down to. When Wallace or Smith tells fans they don’t “understand the bigger picture,” or that they should “just enjoy the show,” it alienates the people who buy the tickets, watch the races, and fuel the entire industry. NASCAR has been battling a disconnect between its suits in Daytona and the people in the grandstands for nearly two decades. Watching two of its most visible personalities parrot that same tone-deaf messaging just widens the gap.
No one wants to see either man fail. NASCAR needs big personalities, especially ones who bring enthusiasm and energy to a sport that can often feel overly corporate. But Wallace and Smith need to remember that fans are not the enemy — they’re the engine. Without them, the hype machine doesn’t run, the TV deals dry up, and the trackside shows lose their audience. You can’t keep telling people their concerns don’t matter and then expect them to keep tuning in every Sunday.
At Martinsville this weekend, when tempers inevitably flare and race control inevitably finds new ways to confuse everyone, fans will be watching closely — not just the action on the track, but who defends what comes after. If Wallace and Smith use their platforms to once again tell fans they’re wrong to be frustrated, they’ll only deepen the rift between NASCAR and its base.
The message is simple: be hype men, not hall monitors. Bring the passion, not the preaching. NASCAR fans are some of the most loyal in sports — and they don’t need lectures from people cashing checks written by the same hands that caused the problems. The fans power this sport more than any Next Gen engine ever could. Maybe it’s time Wallace and Smith stop carrying water for the company and start carrying the torch for the people who made them matter in the first place.
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