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CEDAR RAPIDS – Kenny Wallace’s time in Cedar Rapids was short.
But sweet.
The former 26-year NASCAR veteran flew in Friday to make a guest appearance in the No. 7 Cassill Motor Sport Mod. He started sixth and finished second in the feature race at Hawkeye Downs Speedway.
“I won the heat race, ran second in the feature and just had a real good time,” Wallace said. “Everybody was so happy.”
Points leader Tallan Chandler, 15, of Cedar Rapids, edged Wallace for the win.
“We started side by side,” Wallace said. “He beat me to the front just flat out running, but I was watching him, and he drove such a beautiful line. He was so good.”
Wallace and Chandler competed in a 13-car field Friday.
“The Cassill family is trying to get this class growing,” Wallace said. “It’s a good class. It’s basically dirt modified on asphalt, and I think this class is about building the car count and getting the future of this facility better.”
During Wallace’s time in NASCAR’s Xfinity series, he raced with Landon Cassill of Cedar Rapids. In June, Cassill reached out to Wallace and invited him to run in his car at Hawkeye Downs.
“I said, I didn’t even know Hawkeye Downs was racing … here I come to find out it’s a NASCAR-sanctioned weekly track,” Wallace said. “I’m thrilled to death to be up here and shine a little light on it.”
To help facilitate travel, HD track owner Roger Cassill flew to the Downtown St. Louis Airport to pick Wallace up.
“Roger knows I’m an old man — he wasn’t going to make it hard on me,” Wallace said with a laugh. “He landed, picked me up and we were up here before they even opened the front gate. I actually met the fans that were in line to get into the grandstand.”
During intermission between the heat and feature races, Wallace signed autographs and took photos with fans.
“My social media following is about 500,000, so my job was to come up here and draw some attention to the racetrack, and I’m real happy to do it,” Wallace said. “I’m an old guy — I’m 62. But because I have a social media following, they still think I’m a NASCAR guy. It’s pretty cool.”
Wallace didn’t have much time to chit-chat following Friday’s feature — he had a flight to catch back to St. Louis.
“I’ve got to race tomorrow (Saturday),” Wallace said. “I’m going to race in my dirt car at Pevely, Mo., and then Sunday in Quincy, Ill.
“This is race season.”
Wallace broke onto the NASCAR scene in 1988, finishing 11th in the Busch Series race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. He was named Busch Series Rookie of the Year the following season.
He retired from NASCAR in 2015. Since then, he’s remained actively involved in the racing world as a commentator for Fox Sports.
Wallace was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. He’s the brother of fellow NASCAR drivers Rusty Wallace and Mike Wallace.
“(Tonight) It was just a really good experience,” Wallace said. “It was a beautiful night. Zero wrong.”
Full Gallery of racing at Hawkeye Downs Friday, July 18, 2025
