Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace was involved in an emergency landing in Charlotte, North Carolina, when the aircraft he was in began emitting fumes, and the pilot reported distress. Thankfully, the crew acted promptly, leading to a fast and safe landing.
This news comes less than two months after the death of NASCAR legend Greg Biffle and his family in an airplane crash in Statesville, North Carolina. So when Wallace documented the ordeal and shared images from inside the aircraft, his fans were worried.
“Better safe than sorry. Our plane smelled like (electrical smoke),” Kenny Wallace recalled (as posted on X). “Our pilot started getting dizzy and had to put oxygen on. We turned around and landed back in Charlotte now. Fire crew and emt chasing us down the runway. Right out of the movies.”
Over the years, aviation accidents have taken a lot from the NASCAR community. Ricky Hendrick, Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Richie Panch; the list keeps getting longer. Days after Biffle’s death, Wallace took to social media and commented,
“I think it was just a tragic loss of life. The landing gear was down, the flaps were down, and it didn’t have enough horsepower to get to the runway, and it was short. I mean, that’s what I think.”
Besides Biffle, his wife, Cristina, and kids, Emma and Ryder, pilots Dennis Dutton and Jack Dutton were also killed in the accident. Per reports, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the crash.
Kenny Wallace Sheds Light on NASCAR’s Growing Ticketing Issues
NASCAR icon Kenny Wallace weighed in on the sport’s growing ticketing issue, which has led to reduced fan engagement on race days. Well, this is about the prices of the tickets and the value they get in return.
Wallace believes that NASCAR’s one-ticket-for-all ticketing system prevents fans from purchasing a ticket just for the race or practice. Today, most tickets cost anywhere between $40 and $60, with grandstand seats being about $100. Crown-jewel events like the Daytona 500 are known to sell tickets for $350 or more.
“People say that the price of the ticket is relatively cheap when you consider inflation, people aren’t complaining about the price to get in the race track,” Kenny Wallace explained. “Here’s what they’re complaining about… what I’m hearing through a NASCAR track owner is that the fans are upset there’s nothing going on at the racetrack.”
All eyes are now on the season-opening Daytona 500, which marks its 68th straight edition in 2026. Scheduled for February 15, the 500-mile event will be televised on FOX, starting at 2:30 pm ET, with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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