Kenny Wallace recently shared his observations and thoughts on why he believes NASCAR Cup teams are recruiting Sprint Car drivers.

In a recent Coffee with Kenny episode, Wallace observed that a number of the most successful NASCAR Cup drivers and rising talents are coming out of Sprint Cars including Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Corey Day. 

As for why Wallace explained, “Because the World of Outlaws Winged Sprint Cars or the High Limit, they are powerful beasts, 410 cubic inches, fuel injected. I  mean when you get on the gas, those damn things go now.”

“So, when you go to the Cup Series, it feels like you’re driving a Tonka toy,” he continued. “I say that respectfully. Jeff Gordon told me one time, he said, ‘I was driving open wheel Midgets.’ This is what Jeff told me. And then he said, ‘I went to Sprint Cars.’ He said, ‘When I went back to the open wheel Midgets, it was like driving a Tonka toy.'”

He also pointed out that Kelley Earnhardt’s son Wyatt Miller will begin competing in 360 Winged Sprint Cars in the future as he continues to develop and become a better driver.

Finally, to conclude his video he questioned why asphalt late model drivers specifically from the Midwest are not getting the chance to compete in Cup and a lot of the top drivers and upcoming recruits are coming from Sprint Car.

To Wallace’s point there are quite a bit of drivers who honed their craft in the dirt. On top of Larson, Briscoe, Bell, and Corey Day, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tyler Reddick also have significant dirt experience in Sprint Cars and Late Models.

Additionally, you have Ty Gibbs jumping into a Sprint Car when his schedule allows such as the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte last November.

Furthermore, as Wallace pointed out with Wyatt Miller a number of drivers are having their children compete in the dirt. Brexton Busch has made numerous starts on dirt and has already taken home some prestigious hardware including a Golden Driller from the Tulsa Shootout. Both Owen and Audrey Larson have racked up a more than a handful of wins each just this year.

However, not all of NASCAR’s top prospects are coming out of the dirt world, there are still plenty coming from asphalt although it’s becoming more and more common that they are racing on both. Such is the case with Carson and Caden Kvapil who are both CARS Tour champions, but also compete regularly on the dirt at Millbridge. 

In fact, the CARS Tour is a hotbed of talent development. Just look at the top drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings. Kaden Honeycutt and Layne Riggs both came out of the CARS Tour. Other Truck Series drivers that came out of the CARS Tour include Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, who also has Dirt Late Model experience, Mini Tyrell, Tyler Ankrum, Christian Eckes, and Parker Eatmon. 

NASCAR Cup Series driver and winner Josh Berry also came out of the CARS Tour and Mid-Atlantic asphalt Late Model Stock Racing. 

While it seems there are not as many drivers coming out of the Midwest as in the past, there are still two prominent Cup drivers that have honed their craft there: Carson Hocevar and Erik Jones.

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