Latest / Kenny Wallace Media / Hailie Deegan | Kenny Conversation #17
Transcript
- 0:00People don't realize how different the East Coast and
- 0:03West Coast racing worlds are. They are two different worlds,
- 0:06totally separate worlds. What?
- 0:07Do you think's different? It's the people.
- 0:11It's the, I'd say how the racing, how people get along is
- 0:17very different. Like I was so used to like
- 0:19everyone's buddies, like we all, yeah, we all might take each
- 0:23other out. But like we're all kind of cool
- 0:25after the race and like we'll probably all go hang out at
- 0:28least like you're kind of group of people.
- 0:30But it's only, I really like that in stock car racing and
- 0:32everyone knows everybody and everybody's super friendly.
- 0:35And I feel like in NASCAR racing, everyone's so like
- 0:37uptight. Yeah, it's like you're
- 0:41constantly having to watch your back so someone doesn't stab it.
- 0:44You're your sponsor. Yes, yes.
- 0:46And I wasn't used to that stuff. Like at all?
- 0:50It's the Kenny Wallace conversation brought to you by
- 0:53Jags. Hello everyone and welcome to
- 0:56the Kenny conversation brought to you by Jags, the leader in
- 1:00high performance aftermarket car parts.
- 1:03Remember to go to Jags. Dot com.
- 1:07I love saying that. Well, as I always say, we got to
- 1:11pause a little bit because it's time to interview one of the
- 1:16greatest lady racers of our era. Haley.
- 1:20Deegan. Haley, how are you doing?
- 1:22I'm doing good Hanging out at the house today, so just having
- 1:25fun. Yeah, you've been having a lot
- 1:28of fun. You ran second in that SRX race.
- 1:32Live on ESPN. The flagship station.
- 1:36The whole world saw you, but let's talk about that a little
- 1:40bit later on. There's there's a little bit to
- 1:42get to. We won't rough you up that bad.
- 1:44Is that all right? That's good.
- 1:46I appreciate it. 22 years old and one thing I never thought
- 1:52about is it's you and your mom against the boys.
- 1:56It's it's your dad, Brian. And then was it Hudson and Hale?
- 2:01Hudson and Hayden. Is that right?
- 2:04Yeah, the two little brothers. Do they rough you up since
- 2:08you're you're the girl, the family?
- 2:09I mean, I think as I was the oldest, I kind of rough them up
- 2:13growing up. So I I take, I take
- 2:16responsibility for their aggressive demeanor and
- 2:19personalities. Yeah, and.
- 2:22You know, sometimes I can relate to your dad, Brian, because, you
- 2:26know, they put me on Ritlin when I was in school because I was a
- 2:30little off off the charts. I've talked to your dad.
- 2:32Your dad looks. I think, I think your dad and
- 2:35myself could be brothers. What's it up?
- 2:39Roughly? Hyper.
- 2:40Is he hyper? Very, very.
- 2:42I'm surprised. I hope I have that much energy
- 2:44when I'm when I'm that age. So I've noticed that.
- 2:51Your family and my family are somewhat comparable.
- 2:54So my dad Russ, my brother Rusty, my brother Mike, my mom
- 2:59ran powder puffs. As we all have been able to
- 3:03watch your family grow it, it seems like you all were always
- 3:08in racing now. Is that all you know when you
- 3:11grew up? Was it just racing all the time?
- 3:14Yeah. So I got started in racing when
- 3:16I was around 8 years old, and I used to be like a super girly
- 3:20girl, like I was in Girl Scouts. I played volleyball, like I was
- 3:25pink. Everything like room decorated
- 3:28Princess style. Like I was very girly girl.
- 3:31Like I was always with my mom, always going shopping to the
- 3:33mall together. And then as my dad started
- 3:37racing offroad trucks and getting out of the Moto side of
- 3:41his career, that's when I started really taking interest
- 3:44in it. So it was other kids doing it
- 3:45and the Moto scene, when you've made it and you've are at these
- 3:49top level competitions, there's no kids there.
- 3:51So I never got to witness those things until we started going to
- 3:54these off road races and then I started witnessing other kids
- 3:57racing and I was like I didn't even know this was an option for
- 4:00me. And so that's when I started
- 4:01taking interest in it. You know, you really lead me
- 4:05right into this direction. And it was, you know, when I
- 4:08studied your career. Man, you're really well balanced
- 4:12and when I watch your YouTube videos and I want to get to
- 4:15YouTube later on. But you've raced to motorcycles.
- 4:20You've raced to go karts. You've raced trucks, dirt
- 4:24trucks, you know, off road closed course.
- 4:28Wow. I mean you really you really
- 4:31have only at 22 years old you you've done it all.
- 4:35Was that was that path, was that set or did you go hey?
- 4:39Now that I'm running go karts, I wanna try motorcycles Or you did
- 4:43motorcycles first. What was the the order there?
- 4:47So I started out in off road trucks.
- 4:49That was the first things that I I drove like little Utvs and
- 4:53stuff like just around the house, the property quads like
- 4:55just cruising around, like how every kid does when you got some
- 4:58acres. And so I really got sorry just
- 5:02in the offroad truck stuff because my dad was doing it.
- 5:04And then when I was just pretty much in that world and I did go
- 5:09karting stuff for practice and a lot of my other friends did it
- 5:12for practice too. So it was like, I gotta go, go,
- 5:15go hard track, hang out my friends, do some races.
- 5:17And my coach at the time he was, he owned a go Kart track, still
- 5:22does. And so we would always go out
- 5:23there like our group of friends and go practice and it was fun.
- 5:27So that's how I kind of got started on the go Kart side of
- 5:30things. And then when I got originally
- 5:33picked up to run KNN Arca stuff, that's when I started kind of
- 5:37branching out and doing some dirt racing, more like dirt
- 5:40circle track racing and durable racing.
- 5:42So I thought, I just really think that for a driver, the
- 5:47most cars you can drive, it's like having another tool in your
- 5:49toolbox. It's just something that you can
- 5:51utilize when you're in situations on the track, be able
- 5:55to pick apart little things or make better decisions or
- 5:57whatever it is. I feel like just being able to
- 5:59have experience in different cars helps.
- 6:03I was out in Sturgis with my brother Rusty, and I can tell
- 6:08Rusty really wants to maybe run the SRX series, but but he said,
- 6:13he said, you know, he calls me Herman, he says.
- 6:17He says, man, you're really fast in your dirt car, but but you
- 6:20you keep doing it, you got your reps in, he says.
- 6:23I couldn't get back in and he feels like he couldn't be up to
- 6:28par. So, So what you're saying is
- 6:32it's the reps, it's the constant doing racing, eye hand
- 6:36coordination, that's what you feel really helps you.
- 6:41Yeah. I think that just having being
- 6:43behind the wheel of so many different things, I feel like
- 6:45when you're in situations like tough situations, I feel like
- 6:49that's when those things come out that you've learned from
- 6:52other vehicles and just getting experience, like being able to
- 6:55feel things that you haven't in that certain car because you
- 6:59drove this car over here, you're like, OK, I remember when I
- 7:01drove this, it feels similar and be able to kind of work around
- 7:04those things. I think it's just good,
- 7:05especially in stock car racing, it's not cheap to get laps.
- 7:09So it's definitely something that's hard.
- 7:11And so I think utilizing other resources that are more
- 7:14financially probably an easy, a little bit less expensive
- 7:18decision helps a lot. Well, you, you bring up a really
- 7:21good point. I would have never thought about
- 7:22that because, I mean, simple. If you're going to run an
- 7:25IndyCar, like starting an IndyCar up is like a huge deal.
- 7:29Like we're going to start the car up, you know?
- 7:32A stock car, people we just fired up.
- 7:34But you you bring up a good point.
- 7:37So I always talk about family with you because I feel like I
- 7:43can relate. So when I first started racing
- 7:46in NASCAR, my brother Rusty was there for me.
- 7:49Now mind you, my dad was a good racer, my mom, my brother Mike.
- 7:53But I'll never forget I went to Martinsville for my very first
- 7:56time and. My brother Rusty looks at me and
- 8:01goes, You see that curb? I said, yeah, I see that curb on
- 8:04the inside. He goes, you do whatever you got
- 8:07to do to get that left front down on that curb and roll as
- 8:10quick as you can. So my brother gave me advice.
- 8:15Did your dad, did he ever, you know, say Haley look, or did he
- 8:21tutor you at all? Do you remember any
- 8:23circumstances where you like? My dad really helped me there
- 8:26mentally. Did that ever happen?
- 8:29So I think that happened a lot at the beginning of my career
- 8:32when I was doing the offroad truck stuff, because he was so
- 8:35versed in that world by the time I started getting good at it.
- 8:38He's been doing it for years and been a part of it for years.
- 8:40So he knows a lot. He's accomplished a lot in it,
- 8:42won a bunch of championships, tons and tons of races, and so
- 8:46he knew his stuff when it came to that.
- 8:48So he was always able to help me out.
- 8:49He spotted me for all my offroad truck races and stuff, and
- 8:52that's that's something that's fairly normal.
- 8:54And like the offroad seemed like having your dad spot you or
- 8:57someone like say your your brother, whoever it is a part of
- 9:00your crew. But like, I feel like there was
- 9:02so many he you gotta keep mine like I am a girl.
- 9:05My demeanor I have. I have three daughters, yes.
- 9:11And you probably have realized that your daughters say, who are
- 9:15their nieces, Nephews. If they're boys, they're like
- 9:19your girls are probably a little bit more, little bit more tamed
- 9:23down and not as aggressive, crazy personality, not as
- 9:26destructive, whatever it is. And I think that because of
- 9:30that, my dad saw that. And because of me being a girl,
- 9:33he was always trying to get me fired up, always trying to make
- 9:37me be more aggressive and kind of, I don't know, like like that
- 9:41fire. And they're mean to really, like
- 9:42be aggressive. And I think that's something
- 9:44that I learned from him. And I think that was a necessary
- 9:48part of like my growing up in my childhood for being a girl
- 9:51racer. Because I feel like just girls
- 9:53are naturally a little bit more tame, a little bit calmer in
- 9:57situations, not as aggressive personalities.
- 10:00So that that is really interesting.
- 10:03So if your dad would have not roughed you up a little bit,
- 10:09would you? Would you have stayed tame?
- 10:13A girl? A girly girl.
- 10:15I don't think I would have been girly Girl, but I don't think I
- 10:18would have been as as aggressive personality as like I am, or at
- 10:22least like as aggressive on the track or whatever.
- 10:24Or even had as much success as I did.
- 10:26Because a lot of the success that I had, like even starting
- 10:28out in the stock car stuff came from me being super aggressive
- 10:32and him kind of getting me hyped up before the race.
- 10:34And I I don't think I would have had that success without him
- 10:38kind of being the person to really like, tell me to.
- 10:42Yeah, yeah, I get that. Well, you know, there's nothing
- 10:45wrong with reminding people. So I want to remind everybody,
- 10:50your dad Brian is one of the greatest of all time.
- 10:55He's done too much to read off, but as they say in modern era,
- 11:00Google it. Yeah, yeah, Google it.
- 11:03He he is truly done it all and and he cut a path that helped
- 11:11everybody when when you are, you know you're young, you're only
- 11:1522. When did when did it dawn on you
- 11:18that damn, my dad's famous. Damn, my dad's good.
- 11:25You remember a time I think I've always known my dad's good at
- 11:28what he does. Whether it was like the motto
- 11:30side of things to freestyle, motocross rally cars offered
- 11:33trucks. It was kind of just like a like
- 11:35I've always known he's good and that's a lot of pressure put on
- 11:39someone at like such a. For me like being a young age
- 11:41you're a little naive. And so like, I go and I'm like,
- 11:44yeah, I just kind of expect my dad to win like type of deal
- 11:47just because he gets, which I guess now like my.
- 11:50Dad's good, probably a lot of pressure to put on him as his
- 11:54daughter, but I think that's his success and everything that he
- 11:59has. Like, there's so much I feel
- 12:00like I can learn from that and he's accomplished so many
- 12:03things, whether it's winning 16X games, medals, winning rally car
- 12:07races, offroad truck races. Like he's truly won everything
- 12:10he has done. So yeah, he's got to figure it
- 12:14out. He's got, he had a massive
- 12:16clothing company that was super, super successful, like crazy
- 12:20successful. Like as someone who has their
- 12:22own merchandise company and also another clothing brand, it's
- 12:25hard. It's hard to get started out.
- 12:27It's hard to build those relationships and figure out how
- 12:29to run a business, especially being new at it, like not having
- 12:32other people come in and do it for you.
- 12:35So, OK, we've established kind of who you are, where you're
- 12:40from, your mom, your brothers. The whole early part of your
- 12:43career. So let's let's let's move to
- 12:47NASCAR. So you had success.
- 12:51I've Googled you. You've had success.
- 12:55You went to the West series. How did you go from the early
- 13:03part of your career? What was the phone call?
- 13:05What do you remember about, Hey, I'm going to, I remembered as
- 13:09the Winston W series, but that's a tough series.
- 13:12When when do you remember that that taking place now we're
- 13:16going out of out of that into the NASCAR type cars.
- 13:19So I I haven't really told I guess like the indepth story of
- 13:23how it all played out. So I was my mom at 14.
- 13:27I saw 15 years old at that time and you got to look at it.
- 13:30NASCAR is the biggest form of racing in my opinion in America.
- 13:34It's if like I feel like that's where I wanted to end up because
- 13:39there was so many. It's like the eyes on it.
- 13:41It's just looked at as like the crown jewel of racing.
- 13:44And when you're growing up like I want to make it to NASCAR.
- 13:47And so that was something that like it was in the back of my
- 13:51mind a little bit, but I was racing off road trucks and I
- 13:54kind of had peaked there a little bit.
- 13:56As in like, there wasn't much more to accomplish like there
- 13:59because it is a smaller, smaller series of racing and a smaller
- 14:04form of racing to where there isn't like many more levels to
- 14:07go up to once you kind of hit the pro classes and do good
- 14:09there. So after that I was like, man,
- 14:12like I was 15 years old and I think my parents kind of saw it
- 14:14too that like what's next? Like, like, I can't just be OK
- 14:19with where I'm at like 15 and not work for anything else.
- 14:22And so I that's when my mom had signed me up for the NASCAR
- 14:26diversity program. Yeah.
- 14:31So she signed me up. And it's funny because she
- 14:33actually, when she was signing me up online, it said how the
- 14:36forms failed or whatever. It didn't go through yada, yada,
- 14:39yada. And she's like, man, it's not
- 14:40working. And then it just so happened
- 14:43that the forms actually went through.
- 14:45And so, yeah. And because of that, I came out
- 14:48to North Carolina and tested a It was for the Legend, the
- 14:53junior, like the diversity program that they have for
- 14:56Legend cars to race at the Summer Shootout.
- 14:59I end up trying out for that and I made it and I end up racing
- 15:03the full Summer Shootout because that and North Carolina I like.
- 15:07It's so funny when I explain this to people because I always
- 15:09say, like, oh, back in California, back in California,
- 15:11back on the West Coast, people don't realize how different the
- 15:15East Coast and West Coast racing worlds are.
- 15:17They are two different worlds, totally separate worlds.
- 15:21What do you think's different? It's the people.
- 15:24It's the. I'd say how the racing how
- 15:28people get along is very different.
- 15:31Like I was so used to like everyone's buddies.
- 15:34Like we all yeah, we all might take each other out but like
- 15:37we're all kind of cool after the race and like we'll probably all
- 15:40go hang out at least like you're kind of group of people.
- 15:43But it's only, I really like that in stock car racing and
- 15:46everyone knows everybody and everybody's super friendly and I
- 15:48feel like in NASCAR racing everyone's so like uptight like
- 15:52dog. Yeah, it's like you're
- 15:54constantly having to watch your back so someone doesn't stab it.
- 15:57You're your sponsor. Yes, yes.
- 15:59And I wasn't used to that stuff, like at all.
- 16:03And so, getting back to what I was like, I always get off
- 16:05track. Haley, this is Kenny
- 16:08conversation we had. We had the Tony Stewart said the
- 16:12same thing. But yeah, it's OK because we're
- 16:15we're in no order here, but. Anyway, yeah, so you you signed
- 16:21up for the diversity program and I said what's the difference
- 16:24between East Coast, West Coast? I agree with you.
- 16:27So anyway, you're you got the diversity program and we're
- 16:31trying to get Winston W racing. So that's and I didn't even know
- 16:35what the the K&N series was. I didn't know the difference
- 16:38between a late model and a super late model.
- 16:40Like this was all foreign to me. Like I was so new.
- 16:43I'm 15 years old and I was stuck in my world on the West Coast of
- 16:47off road racing. And so I came over here and I
- 16:51ended up doing a late model test.
- 16:53And like my parents were just like, well, like we see the late
- 16:56models are kind of like the next thing to go.
- 16:58And my parents were kind of foreign to it too.
- 16:59And they're like, well, let's go do a test or something to see if
- 17:03you even like can drive one. And they're tough, tough
- 17:07competition. Yeah.
- 17:09And so that's when I went to, it was at Hickory or no, it was
- 17:14Greenville Hickory and Greenville Pickens.
- 17:17We did two day test and so I want to try two different
- 17:20tracks. No clue why, No clue.
- 17:23And so we end up going out there and there was someone there who
- 17:28had a connection with Toyota and it's some sort of testing with
- 17:32some other girls at Toyota. And they ended up coming to us
- 17:36and we're like, hey, I Toyotas been looking for some girls or
- 17:40whatever, like been kind of scouting around and out and
- 17:42they're like, do you care if we call them?
- 17:44And my parents were like, sure, like, I don't know.
- 17:47Like we don't know what that entails.
- 17:50And so I guess the guy ended up calling them, they got in
- 17:53contact with us And then that's when I got a test at Irwindale
- 17:57in a Canaan car and I still remember it to this day.
- 18:00It was in Todd Gillen's KN car when he drove for BMR, the 16
- 18:03car at Irwindale. We end up testing there and I
- 18:06did really good. And there was a few other girls
- 18:09they tested out and I end up doing the best out of those
- 18:13group of girls. And there was, I guess it was
- 18:15like a they've been testing girls constantly and so I am
- 18:19doing really good with that and I got three-year contract with
- 18:22Toyota to go K&N racing. And so that's how I ended up
- 18:26actually getting into the K&NW series with Bill McNally.
- 18:30I'm going to make sure Charlie clips this part right here.
- 18:33I would have. I had no idea.
- 18:35And I don't think many people know that that's how you.
- 18:39One of your roads is the diversity and and literally, you
- 18:42know what? When people are looking for an
- 18:44in and here your mom just got on the Internet.
- 18:47Yeah, yeah, yeah. And put it in there.
- 18:50So. And you know what's so funny?
- 18:52What's so coincidental? Like that?
- 18:54The racing world is small, very small.
- 18:57When I went for my first year for the Diversity program, I
- 19:00guess my only year that I did trace the Summer Shootout.
- 19:03My boyfriend, who we've been dating for 3 / 3 years now and
- 19:08he was racing for the Diversity program at that time in the KNN
- 19:12stuff. And so, like, we've always know
- 19:15anybody for like, ever since, like, in North Carolina.
- 19:19Yeah, I met my boyfriend at the diversity program.
- 19:22He's a boy and I'm a girl. So anyway.
- 19:27NASCAR watches all the Kenny conversations, so let me get
- 19:30that right. That is the NASCAR W series.
- 19:32I'm an old guy. So yeah, when Winston was
- 19:36around, you know, the tobacco company, it was the, you know,
- 19:40the Winston W series. But it is now NASCAR W series.
- 19:44So you went on there, There's no doubt you're you're really good.
- 19:48I've watched a lot of your races.
- 19:50He had to, because you became the first female driver in
- 19:55history. To win.
- 19:57And you didn't win one, you won in 2018-2019.
- 20:01Now I loved watching those races because now that I'm talking to
- 20:06you, your dad came out and you in a little bit.
- 20:09Them them boys were blocking you, wouldn't give you no room.
- 20:12And short track racing. You know, I lived 27 years in in
- 20:17Concord, NC, just like you moved from Saint Louis.
- 20:21There, when you grow up around the bullrings, you just can't
- 20:25pass. Yeah, it's it's hard to get up
- 20:28underneath somebody. So sometimes you got to move
- 20:31them and you moved them, but but you did it right you you got
- 20:38them, you know, up out of the groove getting into the corner.
- 20:40What do you remember about those two, what I call groundbreaking
- 20:46wins, first lady racer to win in the NASCAR W years?
- 20:50What do you remember? I remember the one at Vegas on
- 20:52dirt. That was bad.
- 20:54Yeah, that one was cool. So I'll be, I'll be super honest
- 20:58with you and like that's something that I probably, I I
- 21:00feel comfortable staying around you to where you won't bash my
- 21:03dad for doing this. But no, because me and your dad
- 21:06are always. Like this so.
- 21:10My dad was always amping me up and racing.
- 21:12I think we've gotten the point of that and my spotter.
- 21:16At the time, I was pretty close with him my first win and my dad
- 21:20was always like, and we always had talked about like if I was
- 21:22in second, like I'm moving it like I don't care, it's a big
- 21:28deal. And it might have been kind of
- 21:30that information fed into me, but my dad a little bit.
- 21:35But I remember when I was in second my dad, you gotta think
- 21:40about most people have radios and stuff, like when you're kind
- 21:42of at local races. My dad keyed up on the radio
- 21:45with like a lab or two to go and told me to move it, which I had
- 21:49already kind of planned to, but he keyed up and did that in,
- 21:52like for the next two to three years, like it's finally I'd
- 21:57say. Two years ago.
- 21:59It's kind of past now, but that was like the talk for a while.
- 22:03How is like, my dad's the crazy dad on the radio and I'm like,
- 22:07he's not he. He just keyed up one time.
- 22:09Or am I time to win? Yeah, which I'm like.
- 22:12I'm thankful he did. Like I don't.
- 22:14I didn't see a problem with it, especially back in the day.
- 22:16I didn't see a problem with it. Now I'm like, obviously you
- 22:19can't do that during like a truck race or something.
- 22:21But back then, like we were so foreign to it that like, I'm
- 22:24like he would have keyed up and told me that and any other like
- 22:27he has. Like back when I was younger
- 22:29racing, I'm like, I didn't see a problem with it.
- 22:32I won. So I really didn't.
- 22:34Well, you know what, Haley, Obviously I'm a lot older than
- 22:38you. And years ago, the great Dale
- 22:41Earnhardt senior, he became the intimidator.
- 22:44And here's why. Because you look in your mirror
- 22:47and you would see Dale Senior coming, right?
- 22:50And you would try to race him. Well, he wouldn't give you 3
- 22:54seconds. He popped you right in the ass
- 22:57and moved you out of the way. So then I said one of the
- 23:00reasons Earnhardt won so many races is because every time we
- 23:04looked in our mirrors and we saw Dale Senior coming, we moved out
- 23:08of the way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 23:10He didn't have to race nobody. That's funny.
- 23:15Blame it on your dad. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 23:18No one on him. It wasn't me driving.
- 23:22It was him for sure. That that's badass.
- 23:25OK, so you won races, 2018-2019, NASCAR, W series, big wins.
- 23:35So now we're going to move on through the big time.
- 23:39Now we're going to go E you you've talked about a little
- 23:43bit, but at what point did the whole Fam family say, you know
- 23:50what we're like to clamp. It's on Beverly Hillbillies.
- 23:53We're moving E because when did that happen?
- 23:57So we didn't actually move to the East Coast full time like
- 24:01really ever and. Like I didn't until I was on my
- 24:05own out here because I I have a little brother who races full
- 24:09time now. Supercross Pro Motocross and he
- 24:12has just gone pro this year but he was this rising star in the
- 24:16amateur inks that like. Like a big star, it won
- 24:20everything there is danger, deagan.
- 24:22Yeah, yeah, that would be him. And so he is literally, he's
- 24:27looked at as like the guy, especially in the amateur inks
- 24:29growing up that like if Hayden didn't win, what happened?
- 24:33Why, why didn't he win? It was that type of deal where
- 24:35it's like the pressure is to not lose.
- 24:37And so they were so focused on also him.
- 24:40They kind of got me going, got me in the motion of things, and
- 24:44then they were so focused on him and making sure his career was
- 24:47good. And Moto was all on the West
- 24:48Coast for the most part at least, like it has been until
- 24:51the past couple years. And so they still had to be
- 24:54there with him. And he was training every single
- 24:56day, going to the track every single day, practicing.
- 24:59So like, it takes a lot. And so I knew that kind of going
- 25:02into it. We were out here part time.
- 25:04My parents had built a house up in Morganton, NC, and we were
- 25:08out here part time when we kind of could be when we gone like
- 25:11the spurts of East Coast races when I was doing ARCA and that
- 25:15that sort of things. But we were never out here full
- 25:18time. So.
- 25:20So you finally make the move and you end up going in the NASCAR
- 25:26trucks here. So.
- 25:27So to this day, here's where we're at.
- 25:29You, You race right now in the NASCAR Craftsman trucks here as
- 25:33you run a Ford for Ford Motorsports #13.
- 25:39You know, I was always a little worried about the number 13, but
- 25:43I started 13th at Volusia and won my very first Xfinity race.
- 25:48What do you think about 13? Is that okay with you?
- 25:50I mean, I'm not a superstition person.
- 25:53I've never been like all these superstitions that I hear of,
- 25:56like I didn't have that growing up and I never heard of this.
- 25:59People are like, you can't. And I think I kind of broke that
- 26:02when people are like, you can't have a green car.
- 26:04And then I won with the K&N car, my Monster Energy car.
- 26:08And so I was like, OK, not real. And I Then there was one about
- 26:12like, you can't eat. Like chicken on race day or on
- 26:16race day. Yeah.
- 26:17And I'm, I don't like peanut butter, so I'm fine with that.
- 26:19But I'm like, there's a lot of superstitions.
- 26:21I feel like I learn a new one with every single person I meet.
- 26:25So I'm going to broach this conversation and you're going to
- 26:31answer any way you want. Kenny.
- 26:33Conversation is fun. We don't get anybody in trouble.
- 26:39We're in NASCAR now. You're in the Truck Series.
- 26:42It just seems to me like when I watch these races those boys a
- 26:48lot of the times take advantage of you.
- 26:50They wreck the shit out of you and and and I and I'm listen, I
- 26:54ran 905 NASCAR races and I remind everybody of that.
- 26:59I've been there, done it. Do they wreck you?
- 27:04I would say it's a. It's a double edged sword
- 27:08because I don't think people go out there and just like I'm
- 27:10gonna go after Haley and type deal.
- 27:13I don't think it's like that, but I think it's maybe I've been
- 27:18over the last 2 1/2 years a little bit less aggressive
- 27:21because I kind of wanted to take a step back and.
- 27:24I knew the Truck Series is going to be hard.
- 27:25I knew going into it and I still had a lot to learn.
- 27:29I didn't know a lot about the mechanical side of stock cars.
- 27:32Like even still going into the Truck Series, I was still
- 27:35learning so much and I still am learning a lot but and I feel
- 27:38like there's always more to learn.
- 27:40But it was something to where I'm like, you know, I'm gonna be
- 27:43less aggressive, I'm gonna be less of the person.
- 27:45Coming in here going like I'm gonna smoke all you guys type
- 27:48deal. Like I'm not going to be that
- 27:49person. Going to the Truck Series
- 27:50because it's going to be hard and I know that.
- 27:52And so I kind of took a step back and I think with that I
- 27:55became a little bit less aggressive.
- 27:57And so I think I got into the the category of people that like
- 28:03there's certain people on the track that you kind of know you
- 28:05can take advantage of. And I think, yeah.
- 28:08And I think I put myself like, didn't mean to, but like almost
- 28:13accidentally put myself into that category.
- 28:15And so I think this last year I've tried to be more
- 28:18aggressive, tried to kind of get back what I had before.
- 28:22And I feel like because I was looked at as a person that's not
- 28:25as aggressive or not as or easy to take advantage of.
- 28:29And I think because I was looked at like that that I wasn't that
- 28:32when I do start being aggressive, I just get junked
- 28:36that like. But there's no like intimidation
- 28:39factor, right? Yeah, I get that.
- 28:41You know what, I wasn't going to go to this situation now, but
- 28:47but it's the perfect time and I I can't help myself.
- 28:50So you you ran second in the big SRX race at Eldora.
- 28:57So no matter what, no matter what we think of the SRX series,
- 29:01it's really famous. We know the cars are what they
- 29:05are, We know there's 12 or 13. But when you ran second, Tony
- 29:12Stewart got out of his car and said damn, Haley is really good
- 29:16on dirt. And then your interview for me,
- 29:21because I got three daughters, your interview was very
- 29:23emotional because I've raced so much.
- 29:25I get see in your eyes. The glisten, yeah, because you
- 29:29were happy, because you you've been roughed up over the last
- 29:32two years. But we're all racers go through
- 29:35that. But what I really drew my
- 29:37attention to was that you said, you know, and we all do it.
- 29:41Haley, I'm not just saying this to you.
- 29:44Even even Mark Martin said listen, when we win we say, Oh
- 29:47no, when's our next win going to be?
- 29:50So you've been roughed up lately over the last two years.
- 29:53You get the 2nd place finish at Eldora.
- 29:56Tony Stewart says, Oh my God, she's an incredible dirt racer.
- 30:01But you you said I have been lacking some confidence lately
- 30:05and we all do. What techniques do you use?
- 30:10Like like I have Square D and I'm and I'm popular for telling
- 30:15the truth. They spent 22 grand on me going
- 30:18to Topeka, KS to take sports therapy.
- 30:22Really. I, my brother Rusty chewed my
- 30:25ass and he goes. You should have came to me.
- 30:27I'd have helped you. That's funny.
- 30:32So, so you know you don't have to say anything, but do you?
- 30:36Have you used any techniques here like?
- 30:38Because sounds to me like you need to start, you know, getting
- 30:42going again. What's What's the latest on
- 30:45confidence and techniques of getting your mojo back?
- 30:48So it's funny actually about two to three weeks ago, like, I
- 30:52always felt like I was going downward.
- 30:54And I'll be honest about it, like I felt like I was going in
- 30:56a downward spiral. Obviously when you aren't doing
- 30:59good in racing, or at least having those results, it don't
- 31:01matter if you're running 10th. And you get wrecked.
- 31:04People look at that number, they go on that racing reference and
- 31:07they look up, oh she finished 36th.
- 31:09Well yeah, cuz I was running 8th and I got junked, but well
- 31:12that's what I meant. From early you get wrecked a
- 31:14lot. Yeah, Yeah.
- 31:15And so people look a lot at that end number and don't see how it
- 31:19went throughout the race. And I think with that, though,
- 31:22it becomes like, okay, what if sponsors are getting unhappy?
- 31:26What if? Whoever, the team's not
- 31:28believing you, whatever it is. Like I feel like and I those
- 31:31aren't things like my team believes in me and I'm super
- 31:34thankful for that. I have a really good crew of
- 31:35guys behind me. But like, obviously it makes it
- 31:38tougher to get new sponsors if I do want to move up to Xfinity,
- 31:41which I do. It makes it hard to find
- 31:44sponsors when those results aren't there and plain and
- 31:47simple, because people look at that end result number and and
- 31:50don't see if you are getting better.
- 31:52You're not whatever it is, but with that.
- 31:56I just felt like I was spiraling and my confidence was completely
- 31:59gone. Start questioning myself of
- 32:01like, man, can I really do this? Like do I have it in me to go to
- 32:06that next level? Do I have that?
- 32:08Do I have the ability to? And I just kind of like, I
- 32:11started talking to a few people about it and I actually started
- 32:14working with again as of two weeks ago, started talking to
- 32:18him and he actually came to that SRXA with me was my old driving
- 32:21coach, like driving mental coach.
- 32:23He helped me out when I was winning in the offer.
- 32:26Road stuff helped me. He's the one that owns a go Kart
- 32:29track. Troy Adams and he helped me
- 32:31through my whole start of KNN and all of that and then once he
- 32:35cuz he lives on the West Coast. Once I kind of came East Coast.
- 32:39His son races too so it's hard to make that happen.
- 32:42So I actually started working with him again and he came to
- 32:45this last race, came to the SRX race and the truck race just
- 32:49super happy. He was there to see me do good
- 32:50at the SRX series but he helped me so much build my confidence
- 32:54back in the day. Like I I definitely.
- 32:56Wasn't cocky back in the day, but I did not lack confidence.
- 32:59Like I thought I was one badass person back in the day.
- 33:04And you start to question those things when you don't get those
- 33:07results that you want to or start hearing the noise going
- 33:10around from the outside coming in.
- 33:12And I think that working with him is something that's
- 33:15definitely even now, I feel like started to help my confidence.
- 33:19So when the SRX series started this year, Don Hawk called me.
- 33:45I don't like that. There was an IndyCar driver that
- 33:28got a ride real quick and they needed a driver, so they called
- 33:31me up. So I came to the Stafford two
- 33:34race and I saw you standing by yourself and I didn't like that.
- 33:41So I come over to. Do the do the boys sometime.
- 33:51Did they not talk to you or what's that?
- 33:53What's that deal? I don't hang out with you.
- 33:55I don't know. So like the soccer and maybe
- 33:59it's changed a lot back from like when you've raised versus
- 34:02like how it is now. But no drivers like everyone.
- 34:07Well a few people have their low like clicks of like two to four
- 34:10people, but like no drivers really hang out or anything like
- 34:15pre race or talk to each other. A whole lot.
- 34:18There is a few that do, but like I don't feel like I'm a part of
- 34:22those groups. Well I I noticed that I come up
- 34:25and said something to you and then I was it wasn't 30 minutes
- 34:29later someone, one of my friends you know said yeah, I felt bad
- 34:33for Haley too. She kind of sitting there by
- 34:35herself but it but times have changed because it was never
- 34:40that way. I mean Rusty Rusty Wallace, Dale
- 34:42Earnhardt senior, they were friends.
- 34:44I mean they went on the, you know, they went, you know, on
- 34:47yachts together and you know Mark Martin and Ernie Irvin, you
- 34:51know, staying at each other's houses and you know they some of
- 34:55they could separate that, you know.
- 34:57Yeah, I feel like people struggle to separate that now.
- 35:00I think competition. And remember, this is a
- 35:03conversation. I think what I've noticed is
- 35:08everything is so hardcore now. You know, back in our day you
- 35:12got one sponsor and that's all you needed for the whole year.
- 35:15And I always got all my own sponsors and that's what I was.
- 35:19I was popular for running my mouth, selling product and doing
- 35:23good on the racetrack. But now I agree with you kind of
- 35:28got me thinking that it takes 68 sponsors a year.
- 35:33Everything's so damn expensive and everybody's got a pin up
- 35:37there butt and you know everybody's afraid you're going
- 35:40to get them. Well, that that that bums me out
- 35:44a little bit. Nobody talks to each other
- 35:47because I I noticed that and and and yeah, that.
- 35:51That's that's a bitch. I don't like that.
- 35:53Yeah, I don't either. It's kind of weird like you
- 35:55think with like we're all, a lot of us are the same age.
- 35:59Like you would think we all live in the same town, towns that are
- 36:04close to each other. Like, you would think that like
- 36:06more drivers would kind of like and maybe it's different once
- 36:09you go up the ranks a little bit.
- 36:10I don't know. And so, like, I don't know how
- 36:12it is Xfinity your Cup, but like the truck stuff, like it's
- 36:15harsh. Like it's no one says, like a
- 36:18lot of times I feel like I make people uncomfortable.
- 36:21Because I'm the driver that like, if another driver walks by
- 36:24me, I'll say hi and like, I feel like they get uncomfortable.
- 36:26Like, why are you talking to me? Type deal.
- 36:29I'm like, sorry, just trying to be nice.
- 36:32Do you think they're afraid to talk to you because they might
- 36:37have a girlfriend or a wife and they feel like, oh, I'm talking
- 36:40to a girl, my wife's going to jump my ass?
- 36:43I don't think so, because like. You know, just I just, it's not
- 36:46even talk to me. Like I just go.
- 36:48I just say hi as I'm walking down.
- 36:51I'm not even trying to start a conversation.
- 36:53I just try and be nice. I say hi to everybody.
- 36:55I always ask how everybody is like and I don't know, I see it.
- 36:59I see it with other drivers though, like guy to guy.
- 37:01I do see it a lot with that too. So that's what makes me believe
- 37:04it's not just because I'm a girl type deal.
- 37:06Yeah. Well, you know, I do want to say
- 37:08this, The Truck Series is hard because they got a lot of side
- 37:13force, a lot of drag. You're in the throttle 99% of
- 37:18the time. If you can't let out of the I,
- 37:22I, I want you to get to the Xfinity Series because although
- 37:26you, you use a lot of throttle, there's times you can, you know,
- 37:30roll up off the throttle. So those those trucks are son of
- 37:34a booger. Yeah, they're handful.
- 37:36They are a handful. And I think with the Truck
- 37:39Series. Something that has hurt me so
- 37:42much, like I am a I feel like every driver is different.
- 37:45What works, what every driver's strengths and weaknesses are
- 37:48different. What they need to succeed is
- 37:51different. And I think for me what I need
- 37:54to most the time be fast somewhere.
- 37:56Like even if I'm behind a little bit, I know I can get to the
- 38:00pace that I need to be at. Might take a few laps or so.
- 38:03I know I can get there, but practice like I went into the
- 38:08Truck Series. With no practice whatsoever, it
- 38:12my first year I was going to the virus, you guys.
- 38:16This either and a lot of people forget that.
- 38:18So like my first year I feel like was almost a wash because.
- 38:22I was going to all these new tracks with not one lap on the
- 38:24track. Never qualify there.
- 38:26I'm trying to figure out how to drive this damn truck that is
- 38:29unstable as hell whenever you get behind someone wide open.
- 38:33Just my God. Yeah, you're like wide open and
- 38:36then I'm like, oh, I'm significantly fasten, this guy.
- 38:38I'm about 10 truck legs back. All of a sudden you get 5 and
- 38:41you're Oh my gosh, I'm so free. I wasn't this before.
- 38:44I'm super tight and so. It's like it was so hard for me
- 38:48and it's still, I still feel like I have a challenge with it.
- 38:51But that first year I had no practice, no qualifying, never
- 38:54figured out what the limit of the truck was.
- 38:56I feel like ever, because I was constantly in dirty air,
- 38:59constantly in traffic. And then going in the second
- 39:02year, it's like, OK, you'll get 15 minutes, 20 minutes of
- 39:06practice, which that's not enough time to mock up, not
- 39:09enough time to do any of that. So we go out there and you're
- 39:12expected to fire off initially on pace.
- 39:15I'm like Okay, well, I have never drove this.
- 39:19Who here is this my second year And I know, I know.
- 39:23Why aren't you top of the floor? Why don't you expect to go out
- 39:27there and you're like Okay. I've never qualified here so I
- 39:30don't know what the limit of this truck is when we go out on
- 39:32brand new tires, not in traffic type deal and you're expected to
- 39:36go qualify good or go be top of the board and practice and like.
- 39:40I feel like that was something I struggled with so much.
- 39:42And so I'm trying to build this notebook, a 15 to 25 minutes of
- 39:47practice, like in trying to get clean air and qualifying, like
- 39:51I'm taking notes. I'm like, I don't think I hit
- 39:53the limit of the truck here. It's my first time qualifying
- 39:56here, so I don't know. And then there's a tracks like.
- 39:59Quite a few. I know quite a few tracks got
- 40:00rained out practice and qualifying my second year
- 40:03because I have a bunch of blank races for that category.
- 40:07So I'm I'm going my third year into this going, I still don't
- 40:10know the limit of Detroit here at this place.
- 40:13You know, Jeff Gordon and myself and Bobby Lobani, we we came
- 40:19into the Cup Series together. We were three rookies and as
- 40:23time went on, one thing that I learned about Jeff Gordon was
- 40:28that Jeff grew up as a as a big horsepower driver.
- 40:31He grew up in open wheel midgets, then the big Sprint
- 40:34cars. But the moral of the story is
- 40:36this. When he ran the the IROC series,
- 40:42low horsepower, he didn't show up very good.
- 40:46I've always thought that Jeff was a high horsepower driver,
- 40:50very good with throttle control. I just want to let you know also
- 40:55that that Jimmy Johnson barely won one Xfinity race at Chicago
- 41:03and then went to the Cup Series. So it it's it's a total false
- 41:08statement that you have to be good in trucks before you go to
- 41:13the Xfinity Series. There's 20 examples out there.
- 41:17I just wanted to tell you that. So I want to see you get to the
- 41:21Xfinity Series. It's a complete listen, I'm the
- 41:23mayor. I ran the most races in that
- 41:26series to this day. I got the most starts.
- 41:29Oh yeah, 544 Xfinity starts. Yeah.
- 41:34So you know, the the Truck Series is is just balls of the
- 41:40wall never went off the gas. It's, you know, all right.
- 41:48So we're going to, we're going to start slowing down here a
- 41:50little bit. I roughed you up enough out of
- 41:54everything you drove, out of everything you drove, what?
- 41:57What's the most fun now? I ask everybody this question,
- 42:01What's the most fun vehicle that any even could be even be your
- 42:06life? I think, I think it's a vehicle
- 42:11combo. Of like the track you go to
- 42:15because like, I really, really enjoyed driving the Xfinity car.
- 42:19Like it was almost like a breath of fresh air at Vegas.
- 42:23But also I love mile and a half racing.
- 42:25And so that's something that's like and I always tend to do a
- 42:28little better on mile and a half, but that's something to
- 42:31where I'm like okay, maybe I just really like this Xfinity
- 42:34car because I was on a mile and a half.
- 42:36But no, I just like that was a lot of fun.
- 42:42Man that Sr. the SRX car, Eldora.
- 42:44It was hard to be. It's hard to be like it's man,
- 42:48it was so much fun like it was. I did not expect it.
- 42:51I watched the race back, did some homework beforehand that
- 42:53race that we went to out Eldora. I played a lot on the simulator
- 42:57and I'm like, it's not going to get slicked off in the middle
- 43:00like it would like a dirt light mall race or Sprint car race.
- 43:02I was like it because of what it was the year previous, the
- 43:06cushion and like there was still a lot of moisture, I would say.
- 43:09Two lanes down from the wall. So I was like, it's not gonna be
- 43:12necessary to run that high or anything to make speed.
- 43:15And so then we went there and then all of a sudden cushion's
- 43:18blown up. Cushion's blown up, keeps
- 43:19getting a little higher, a little higher.
- 43:21And I'm like, damn, we are gonna be on the fence.
- 43:23And I'm like, it's gonna be sick, kid, you're gonna race.
- 43:27I like you. Yeah.
- 43:29So when we. We went there and all of a
- 43:32sudden that started happening. I saw Tony here in the top and
- 43:35the bottom never got worked in and I expected.
- 43:38I practiced on the simulator, slow rolling the bottom, kind of
- 43:41staying where the moisture was in the straightaway's corners
- 43:43because I saw man, what's his name, he raced the SRX race
- 43:48there at outdoor previously he finished.
- 43:51I think second to Tony. His name starts to see.
- 43:56I forget it. Is he a dirt racer?
- 43:59I guess he. He does dirt and he does, I
- 44:02think. Also pavement midgets or Sprint
- 44:04cars. Hell, I don't know.
- 44:08I don't remember. I don't remember, but I remember
- 44:10seeing him slow roll the bottom side probably.
- 44:12Yeah, yeah. And so.
- 44:15And I practiced on the simulator and then all sudden we were
- 44:17ripping the top. I was like, this is probably the
- 44:19coolest thing I've ever done. And it looks cool too.
- 44:21It's hard to make stock cars look cool sometimes.
- 44:24Like. I feel like they look so glued
- 44:26to the track a lot of times. And even the dirt racing, like
- 44:29when you go bristle dirt. We went to Knoxville in the
- 44:31Truck Series like it didn't look that fast.
- 44:33Like you're so used to these badass dirt cars that like,
- 44:37stuck in a Knoxville. Uh, huh.
- 44:38Yeah, yeah. I ran second Knoxville.
- 44:40But like it kind of You're slow rolling the bottom.
- 44:42Yeah. When you're ripping the boards,
- 44:43it's totally different story and you and you never what what I
- 44:47was impressed with at the SRX race you and you never allowed
- 44:51the front end to push on entry. You know Tony was dead sideways
- 44:55all night long because he'll usually drive a little straight.
- 44:59But yeah, so SRX race you like that car.
- 45:02And I really enjoyed that. Like, I don't know if it's just
- 45:04because it's the latest thing in my mind, but that was so much
- 45:07fun at Aldora. What are your thoughts right now
- 45:13on and and I ask everybody this, but you're awfully young so I
- 45:17don't know how you can answer this but I'll give it a go.
- 45:20What what are your thoughts on the sport of NASCAR when you
- 45:25look at it, you know, the Cup Series, the next Gen. the talk
- 45:30of going international, you know the racing through the streets
- 45:34of Chicago. I find you wise.
- 45:39So what do what do you think of where NASCAR is going in general
- 45:43all three series? I think I don't know where
- 45:48they're trying to go, so it's hard to say on that side.
- 45:52As for the Chicago race, it, and this is a conversation I've had
- 45:57with a few people, yes, the views are going to be good.
- 46:01How good were the views of the initial Bristol dirt race?
- 46:04They were great. You're bringing NASCAR Cup cars
- 46:07are going on dirt. That's never happened before.
- 46:10Yeah, the views are going to be great.
- 46:12And same thing with Chicago. You're bringing the first ever
- 46:15St. course to NASCAR views are going to be great.
- 46:18It doesn't mean they're always going to be great though.
- 46:20You see the Bristol dirt views they've gone down and so it
- 46:24becomes a little less appealing and and I think it's it's hard
- 46:29to say because I don't know exactly where they're going but
- 46:31like there's plenty of badass Rd. courses that we can go to
- 46:35like a bunch of them And so like Chicago I think it was cool like
- 46:39as a one off deal. But like, I don't think there
- 46:42needs to be like three or four of them on the schedule.
- 46:45I think there's plenty of great Rd. courses to go to.
- 46:47As it is, I think 1 is fine. I'm.
- 46:50I'd be totally okay with that shoot, man.
- 46:53If I make it couple, I'll be happy with that and it's okay
- 46:57cuz we're big fans of the sport. You can talk about any division
- 47:01you want, that's fine. Yeah, yeah, on NASCAR.
- 47:04And like, I don't ever want to be hating on NASCAR anything
- 47:06like that. Because, like, I come home after
- 47:08a truck race and like, I sit on the couch and I watch the
- 47:12expanding race. I watch the full Cup race
- 47:14because I enjoy it. Like, because I truly love it.
- 47:16You're a racer. I'm a part of it.
- 47:18Yeah, I watch. I swear I have more
- 47:20subscriptions to Dirt Vision, Flow Race and Dirt Catch You I I
- 47:25put it on Chromecast on my big town.
- 47:27Yeah, we have the same thing, different.
- 47:30The Dirty series, I'm like, man, we probably spent like 500,000
- 47:35bucks a month and just subscriptions to watch dirt
- 47:37racing every night. Like that's a lot.
- 47:38And you learn a lot. Yeah, yeah.
- 47:40Learning tool. But I enjoy it.
- 47:42I love it. Like that's all I watch.
- 47:43We don't watch TV shows, we don't watch movies.
- 47:45We watch dirt racing every single night.
- 47:47And so, like, I just love racing.
- 47:49But As for where it's headed international, I, I don't know.
- 47:54I've never raced international before.
- 47:57It's and I feel like that would be very, it'd be a lot like a
- 48:00lot, which it'd be a lot of work, a lot of money.
- 48:03And I think the biggest hurdle with the sport right now is the
- 48:08money coming in versus the money going out is you can't just be
- 48:13relying on these big investors in a team of people with money
- 48:17partnering in the teams to offset the cost of what's not
- 48:21coming in for sponsor dollars. And so I think it's making the
- 48:25appeal come back to where sponsors do want to be a part of
- 48:28it, but you have to in order to do that, it comes with eyes, it
- 48:31comes with viewership. And so I think there is, there's
- 48:35a lot that would have to get sorted to bring it back to what
- 48:38it was back in the day. And times have changed.
- 48:40Social media has gotten popular, and now there's a high demand
- 48:43for social media views and stuff, even from my side of
- 48:45things. And so that's how a lot of times
- 48:48I'm selling sponsors and I'm so thankful that the times have
- 48:51changed because I probably wouldn't be racing a few years
- 48:54ago if I was trying to make it in those sorts of things because
- 48:57I didn't have social media to utilize to bring sponsors in.
- 49:01Haley, I want to tell you something straight up and if
- 49:05people made it this far in this awesome conversation you know we
- 49:09clip it up and put it on YouTube.
- 49:11But I'll, I'll share with you and I tell some of my close
- 49:16friends my my sponsors they don't care about my race cars
- 49:21they they want my social media and and and I try to tell the
- 49:26kids that are shy, they hey Wallace, you got all that NASCAR
- 49:29money. I'm like you dumbass.
- 49:31You know I. Love.
- 49:31When people say you have NASCAR money, you're gone.
- 49:34No, but, but, So let's. This could be a 5 minute
- 49:39conversation, 2 minute conversation, but we're at the
- 49:41end now. So YouTube.
- 49:46Millions and millions of views. Your family is so, so famous for
- 49:53YouTube. When, when YouTube or just
- 49:57social media. Because I I've watched you kids,
- 50:01your brothers, you, your dad, your mom, you all are all in and
- 50:06you understand. And I understand the power of
- 50:08it. And it's what has kept my career
- 50:11going. And you just referenced it about
- 50:14you. That's.
- 50:15Why I have a career right now. You got a great career.
- 50:19When was the first time did your mom or dad sit you down and
- 50:23said, hey, this YouTube thing, at what age do you remember
- 50:28this, this sensation? You know of YouTube and and
- 50:32their sponsors like it. What age were you?
- 50:36Do you remember the talk your family had with you?
- 50:38We need content. My dad was always about.
- 50:43Making content as in like he was always the he always put on a
- 50:48really good act When X Games came around they would film
- 50:53skits like dirt bikes, skits, crew of guys and post it on
- 50:57YouTube and stuff. And I'm talking like OG YouTube
- 51:00days 10. 15 years ago he got it early.
- 51:06Early, yeah. And so he was already kind of
- 51:09doing that stuff and he loved doing it.
- 51:10He really, he enjoys dressing up and like outfits and doing
- 51:13skits, like back in the day. And they were super funny like
- 51:18him and his buddies with film stuff for YouTube and that's
- 51:20back when like. I feel like those are kind of
- 51:22popular. And so it was he's always doing
- 51:26crazy stuff and so I kind of just like learned from him And
- 51:29then he started Instagram. Like I still remember to this
- 51:31day when one of my aunts came over and was talking about
- 51:35Instagram for the first time. Like I was little and I don't
- 51:37even know how I remember but I remember us all us making an
- 51:41account and I just got an iPhone for the first time and.
- 51:45My family had just switched from Blackberries to iPhones, the
- 51:49legendary BlackBerry. And I remember they came over
- 51:54and we all download Instagram and stuff and we just kind of
- 51:57started doing it from there. My dad started like clipping up
- 52:00his like or putting pictures of his dirt bike on there.
- 52:03And he was so new. Everything was so new back then.
- 52:06And he was already doing Facebook.
- 52:07So he had a big Facebook following.
- 52:09My mom is helping him run that, but like he never really took it
- 52:12super serious because. YouTube for him back then didn't
- 52:16make money and neither did Instagram or neither did
- 52:20Facebook. And so it was more just a way to
- 52:22get views and then people would sponsor you for who you are and
- 52:25then you go do what you do. And so now it's transitioned
- 52:29into OK, YouTube pays pretty good money.
- 52:32Monetization money is pretty, it's better than any other
- 52:34platform. And Instagram doesn't pay.
- 52:37Facebook pays a little bit. TikTok pays a little bit.
- 52:40And so all these platforms now are.
- 52:44Some of them are monetizing, some of them aren't.
- 52:46But the real money is in selling ads for them.
- 52:48So I have a separate manager who just separately all away from
- 52:52racing and like two different businesses, sells my ads for
- 52:57YouTube. He calls me, says hey, I got a
- 52:58deal from so and so it's for this much money. 62nd ad, I'll
- 53:03give you the read and the product will be there tomorrow.
- 53:05And I go, OK, no problem. And I do.
- 53:07It takes me an hour, 30 minutes, an hour to film.
- 53:10Knock it out. And that's why I make my money
- 53:13on YouTube. And so the racing stuff, the
- 53:16money I bring in for racing, that goes right back out, it's
- 53:19sponsor money to pay for racing. And I live off that money on
- 53:23YouTube ads and those sorts of things.
- 53:25And so a lot of the times, like, I try to keep both separate
- 53:28because I never want to have to touch my racing money to survive
- 53:31and that that money is going directly back in.
- 53:34So we go the race track. Yeah, this is a great story.
- 53:37So for all the races are watching people say Wallace, you
- 53:42got that NASCAR money. That's the reason you run the
- 53:45you win those dirt races. I said no, you do money.
- 53:52I think about it and I I have. I put 100% of my effort into
- 53:57racing. I always make sure all my racing
- 54:00obligations are done before I do anything.
- 54:02That is my goal. I always make sure I'm done
- 54:04watching footage, doing the simulator stuff.
- 54:06And I figured out a good balance of fitting in the social media
- 54:09side of things where we just. My boyfriend naturally films all
- 54:12the races and I just do my normal thing.
- 54:14I don't even it's become so normal for me.
- 54:16But when we're back at home filming those ad type deals,
- 54:20that happens after all my racing obligations are done, after all
- 54:23the meetings, the Zoom calls, the the posts for this sponsor,
- 54:27the doing this conference, whatever it is, all that
- 54:29happens, preparing for races and all that happens after.
- 54:32And I figured out a good way to fit that in.
- 54:34But if I I. I could be probably making some
- 54:37decent chunk of money if I was putting my full effort into
- 54:40YouTube, but I'm not because I want to be a racer.
- 54:43That's what I love to do, That's what I want to do, and that's
- 54:46where I want my career to be. The YouTube side of things that
- 54:49just it just helps. Haley, Listen, I I already knew
- 54:54it. One of the reasons I wanted to
- 54:56have a conversation with you is because I feel like you're rare.
- 55:01You, you you do got it going on. I hope that everybody watches
- 55:04this, realizes how wise you are and you understand a lot.
- 55:09You know, you're not just a pretty girl trying to run a race
- 55:13car. I have three daughters.
- 55:16I love them with my life and I see what you're doing is not
- 55:20easy. You know, race is not easy for
- 55:23the boys I want. I want to thank you so much for
- 55:28coming on Kenny conversation. Well, thank you.
- 55:32I appreciate it and you get to that Xfinity Series.
- 55:39I see what's up. Everybody follows everybody in
- 55:42that we all we all the whole garage area has peripheral
- 55:46vision. Whether you want to know about
- 55:49somebody's career or not, you're going to know because you got
- 55:51everybody sees what's up So what do good and remember everybody
- 55:56we are in podcast form. We're on iTunes or Spotify and
- 56:01as we always say please like and subscribe right here.
- 56:05And Haley, I guess I'm going to see you at Lucas Oil Speedway.
- 56:10Yeah, I'll see you in a few days.
- 56:11I'm going to be racing you, girl.
- 56:14We'll have fun. We'll have fun.
- 56:16Thank you, Haley. No, thank you.
- 56:18I appreciate it.