Kenny Wallace Voted NASCAR Busch Series Most Popular Driver

The votes are in and Kenny Wallace has been named the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Most Popular Driver.

Wallace is the only three-time winner of the award. He also won in 1991 and ’94. The award is determined by a ballot in NASCAR Insider Magazine, the official NASCAR Membership publication and a part of Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated.

The award and trophy were given to a surprised Wallace at the NASCAR Busch Series Awards Banquet on Dec. 8 at the Grand Floridian Hotel in Orlando, Fla. Wallace finished 11th in the 2006 point standings, just missing a place at the banquet reserved for the top 10 finishers in the final rankings. Wallace had finished in the top 10 in points in each of his nine previous full-time seasons in the NASCAR Busch Series.

“I’m humbled by this award,” he told the capacity crowd during a lively yet serious off-the-cuff speech. “I’m totally surprised. This means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

Wallace, who has 327 career starts in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, will return full-time to that series next season.