NASCAR and danger have always gone hand-in-hand. Speed, risk, crashes, these have always been a part of the sport’s story. But what happens when the danger doesn’t remain a byproduct of racing anymore and instead becomes a selling point? That’s the harsh reality that ex-broadcaster Kenny Wallace pointed out about a FOX executive, exposing their ugly methods to promote the sport.

Kenny Wallace admitted that FOX was banking on danger

Since 1979, NASCAR has been televised and brought to fans who could not make it to the tracks. With time, the television ratings increased and became the network’s bread and butter. But it wasn’t short of some controversial policies.

Wallace said in the Herm and Schrader podcast, “I would say this, NASCAR is a dangerous sport. I was in the Fox TV meeting, we have one of our executives come in and he sat all of us down. He says, ‘Okay, look. We’re losing TV ratings because people tune in to see people die. By God, we’re not hurting anybody anymore. We want you all to go on TV and want you to remind everybody that this is a dangerous sport.'”

He continued, “What’s sad is, I just saw over the weekend, again. There is this thought that if we kill people, it’s going to make the sport exciting again. I think that’s absolutely asinine because history repeats itself. Listen, you don’t want to become dumber, but when that Fox executive said, ‘Remind everybody that the sport is dangerous, damn it! We’re not killing anybody anymore.'”

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The bottom line was that Fox was banking on the thrill of danger attracting fans, driving up ratings. Removing the human element from the statement, the tactic makes a ton of sense. After all, the element of danger promises edge-of-the-seat action. But as Wallace pointed out, that approach feels very unsettling. It’s cold to reduce the drivers to use them as tools to drive ratings and numbers.

How safe is NASCAR now in the modern era?

In the modern era, NASCAR has drastically improved driver safety, especially since the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001. February 18, 2026 marked his 25th death anniversary. Since his crash, NASCAR has mandated life-saving gear like the HANS (Head and Neck Support) device. They also have to wear full-face helmets.

Every NASCAR track is lined with SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers. They absorb the impact force do deal with the clashes better.

Fire-protection is upgraded. Real-time crash data systems and quick medical response teams further help. All of this is definitely the reason why the sport has fortunately not seen another death like that since 2001.