Brand loyalty

Wallace stands by sponsor despite ephedra controversy

Everybody knows Kenny Wallace's internal meter revs a little higher than most, but not-so-distant news may have spiked it a bit -- in alarm.

As a first-year member of Bill Davis Racing, Wallace is enjoying his most solid opportunity in several years. He's operating as Ward Burton's teammate, driving the No. 23 Dodge, and he's got big-time primary sponsorship in Stacker 2.

Imagine then, Wallace's reaction at the federal Department of Health and Human Services' recent warning that users of ephedra, the controversial diet-supplement ingredient, face "potentially serious risks."

"They told me to go racing, you know?" Wallace said of his sponsor. "We have a two-year contract, this year and next year, and they have a lot of other products besides ephedra products. They have an ephedra-free product, and they're coming out with a new line of power bars. Really, any more than that, that's pretty much all I know.

"All I know is what anybody else would know."

In the sports world, ephedra is under fire because of its association with the deaths of two professional athletes, Minnesota Vikings tackle Korey Stringer (fall 2001), and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler (Feb. 17, 2003). Both were believed to be taking a product containing ephedra when they collapsed during workouts and later died.

The Department of Health and Human Services issued its warning approximately two weeks after Bechler's death, and the nutritional supplement industry awaits further backlash that could include a congressional investigation of the substance.

This is not a treatise on ephedra. But understand this: Stacker 2 is owned by NVE Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures nutritional, supplement-type products, according to Karen L. Finocchio, vice-president for marketing. Advertised -- and memorably, by Wallace -- as a fat burner, Stacker 2 comes with ephedra, in "light" form, and ephedra-free. If there's a day when it must be sold only ephedra-free, Finocchio says the company will do just fine.

"We're real confident," Finocchio said. "We've had no problems. People are real receptive. They know the hard work we put behind our product."

NVE plans to introduce a line of ephedra-free meal replacement products (protein bars, drinks, etc.) in four to six weeks, said Finocchio, adding that the company has promoted Stacker 2, including the ephedra-free form, in NASCAR for three to four years, and in the World Wrestling Entertainment arena for five years. Finocchio said company revenues stream from multiple products, not just Stacker 2, therefore any future federal ban won't affect NVE's ability to back Wallace.

"I still believe strongly -- and we also believe in the industry -- it's safe if taken as directed," Finocchio said of ephedra. "I mean, of course you would consult your physician before you take anything, herbal or otherwise. And our label is a peel-back label. We go to the expense of having that so that we can have every possible scenario on the label."

Wallace doesn't use Stacker 2. Not because of any discomfort, but because he has no fat-burning problems. Nor does he need to boost his metabolism. Diagnosed as hyperactive in the fifth grade, the youngest of the three racing Wallace brothers -- Rusty, Mike and Kenny, in age order -- decided to turn his extra energy into an advantage.

He doesn't need medication, only inspiration.

"You can either be hyperactively miserable, or hyperactively happy and crazy and fun," Wallace said. "I'm that way."

Which doesn't mean that he didn't worry about ephedra headlines.

"Sure I did," Wallace said. "I went to them [NVE], I said, 'Hey, what's going on? Is this going to affect us?' And they said everything's fine. We've talked a lot, and they're a great company."

The commercials -- spoofs starring Wallace, fellow Winston Cup drivers Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart, Busch series driver Scott Wimmer, and WWE wrestler Paul Wright (a.k.a. The Big Show) -- are a staple of Stacker 2's promotion. NVE began as Wallace's Busch sponsor and transitioned to Cup with him this season.

"They have told me that racing has just put them to another level," said Wallace, who plans to try NVE's new protein bars. "The commercials have been a lot of fun because people react to them. And our sport is about selling product."

Nobody does it better than Wallace. Depending on perspective, he's NASCAR's clown prince, Mad Hatter or court jester, and that gonzoi personality is authentic. The 39-year-old Wallace sweats bad days and serious times like all of us, but he doesn't allow one punch to level him. Remember those ground-anchored, balloon boxing dummies? The harder you hit them, the faster they bounce back? That's Wallace.

"I'm at a point in my life right now where I've pretty much become really comfortable," he said. "I'm a survivor. You can drop me off in the middle of a Wal-Mart parking lot and I'm going to find a job. So I'm not really worried about money like I used to be."

Prior to the opportunity with Davis, Wallace was without a ride in the Cup garage. He'd parted ways with owner Andy Petree after the 2000 season, and felt like an extended stint at Dale Earnhardt Inc., substituting for the injured Steve Park in late 2001 and early 2002 finally substantiated what he could do in top equipment. Of course, he thought he'd proved it when he'd driven Robert Yates Racing's No. 28 in relief of the injured Ernie Irvan during 1994's final 10 races.

"It was funny because people had to take me very seriously," Wallace said, grinning at the memory of both experiences. "They couldn't joke with me any more because I was contending for the top 10 every week."

The fact he hasn't won in 268 Cup starts remains a nag rather than a crisis.

"If I like something, I just hammer at it forever," Wallace said. "I mean, if I'm in a video game, and I can't win it, I'll play for hours."

This isn't the first time he's sought sponsor answers. He's lost earlier backers to similarly poor economies (Dirt Devil, Square D). Worried about things most of us agonize over -- house-buying, providing for a spouse (Kim) and three children.

But long-ago words from a Christian financial advisor still resonate: That if money is what makes you happy, you'll never be happy. So Wallace concentrates on inner peace, refuses to freak over ephedra or the zero in the career win column.

"I'll be honest with you, I just can't control that stuff anymore," he said. "I think with age, I've learned. I'm trying as damn hard as I can try. This is all the talent I got. If it ain't good enough, then so be it. But I can guarantee you that I'm having a good time."

So far, on-track results have been mixed. Wallace finished 16th in the Daytona 500. He said bad alternators cost him at Rockingham (38th) and Las Vegas (30th). He got caught in somebody else's wreck last week in Atlanta and finished 26th. He ranks 32nd in the current point standings. This week, he and crew chief Philippe Lopez, who ran the last 10 races of 2002 together at BDR, will tackle Darlington.

"This Winston Cup racing's so hard, that it keeps my heart pounding," Wallace said. "I just keep going back every week trying, man -- 'Maybe this'll be it.' "

Denise N. Maloof covers NASCAR for SI.com.

 

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