Kenny Wallace finished third on Night 2 of the 2026 Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, driving Nick Hoffman’s No. 36 modified car. The podium continues his strong start to the nine-day event, which runs from January 29 through February 7 at the Florida half-mile.
The NASCAR veteran opened the week on the first night of the competition and won his heat race to finish fourth in the feature. A night later, he won the heat again and crossed the line third in the 20-lap UMP Modified Feature.
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Following the race, Wallace acknowledged the result on X while reposting the night’s results:
“It was a good night. we finished 3d. Congratulations to Charlie.😁”
Kenny Wallace started the feature on the front row alongside Ricky Thornton Jr. in a 24-car field. Driving the blue No. 36 Southern Country Customs Modified, the former Cup Series driver jumped out front early and controlled the race in the opening stages before losing the lead when a string of cautions tightened the field.
Wallace explained how the race unfolded on the latest episode of Coffee with Kenny:
“Had another good night last night. Wallace won his heat race again. Wallace, 62 years old. Wallace lined up on the front row with Ricky Thornton. Wallace led the first 13 laps. Oh, and then it ended. We ran third last night.” (0:11 onwards)
Wallace admitted that the cautions played a major role in the outcome.
“I thought I had that baby won. We had caution after caution after caution, but every time they dropped that green flag, I’d put about a second and a half on them.”
The podium comes just days after Kenny Wallace picked up a win in the UMP Modified class during camper racing in Tennessee, earning $22.55 in winnings and emerging as the early points leader in that division. He plans to continue competing through February 7 as the DIRTcar Nationals roll on.
Kenny Wallace pays tribute to race winner Charlie Medford
After the race, Kenny Wallace also took time to credit the winner, Charlie Medford. The veteran driver, who began dirt racing at age 44 and has since built a decorated résumé, drew parallels between himself and Medford on Coffee with Kenny.
“Charlie Medford, a good little kid that has grown up and become a great race car driver. Charlie won 10 grand to win at Eldora about three months ago,” he added. (0:51 onwards)
Wallace explained why he saw similarities between the two.
“Charlie Medford is a lot like me. He’s funny. He’s the one that at the dome… three, four years ago that said, ‘You can’t park there.’ He flipped his card. Me and Charlie Medford, we parallel each other. We’re happy people. And you can confuse happiness with crazy.”
Kenny Wallace closed by thanking his sponsors and partners, including Nick Hoffman, Darrell Hoffman, and Rhonda Hoffman, for their continued support at the track, as his DIRTcar Nationals campaign continues this week at Volusia Speedway Park.
Edited by Hitesh Nigam
