Kyle Busch, Steven Wallace, a hammer and the Snowball Derby

Credit: Lisa Janine Cloud/
Skirts and Scuffs
It's Monday, and Kyle Busch again dominates the conversation in NASCAR Nation. But wait - the season's over, right? He didn't make the Chase, so he wasn't at the banquet Friday night. How could he be in the middle of yet another controversy? Especially one involving Steven Wallace, who only started a single Nationwide race in the 2012 season?

Simple. Have helmet, will race. In this instance, Super Late-Models.

Rowdy went down to Pensacola, Florida for the 45th Annual Snowball Derby and drove like he usually does, as if his hair were on fire and his butt was catching. He ruffled enough feathers to get penalized by race officials after a Lap 158 incident in which he made contact with T.J. Reaid to take the lead. Reaid used to drive late models for Busch, by the way.

After being sent to the rear of the field just past halfway in the 300-lap classic, Busch muscled his way back to the front, and from all accounts wasn't particularly polite along the way. Defending race champion Chase Elliott said, “The only thing I’d do different is I’d tell Kyle Busch to not come down here and race with us. He needs to show respect to all drivers.”

Perhaps the most notable incident, however, came after contact between Busch and Casey Smith collected Wallace and Ben Kennedy (son of Lesa France Kennedy) and Wallace had to pit.

Frustrated over having worked so hard to build the car and having made his way up from the rear of the field to the top ten, Wallace threw a hammer at the car of Kyle Busch. @Speed51dotcom tweeted about the incident: "Tempers hot as @stevewallace66 throws a hammer at @KyleBusch pit - catch all the action in the #SnowballDerby on http://Speed51.com"

Monday, as Wallace made the drive home from Pensacola, he called in to SiriusXM NASCAR's Tradin' Paint and told Chocolate Myers and Rick Benjamin that he lost his temper, and that if he had it to do again he wouldn't have done it. Wallace finished 22nd in his South Point Hotel and Casino-sponsored ride.

“He got driving a little aggressive and he kind of tore up a lot of cars down here and I got maybe a little mad at him,” said Wallace. When asked what happened to the hammer, he said it was given back to him and a fan offered to buy it from him for $200. Instead, he signed it and gave it to the fan. "We have a tool deal," Wallace explained to the hosts.

"Kyle's a great driver," he said, explaining that all was clear between the two drivers known for their quick tempers and aggressive driving styles.

Busch went on to battle for the lead, eventually settling for third behind 16-year-old winner Erik Jones of Michigan who exclaimed after the race, "We just beat NASCAR star Kyle Busch! I can’t believe it." Jeff Choquette held Busch off to finish second, with Jeff Fultz and Chase Elliott rounding out the top five.

Busch, who won the prestigious short-track race in 2009, said, "We were able to get out front and I thought that would give us the advantage, but Eric drove a great race and he raced us clean."


If you missed the action, check out Speed51's Trackside Now on the Speed51.com website.


Kyle Busch, Steven Wallace, a hammer and the Snowball Derby Kyle Busch, Steven Wallace, a hammer and the Snowball Derby Reviewed by Janine Cloud on Monday, December 03, 2012 Rating: 5