As Rick Hendrick’s Former Driver Returns, NASCAR’s Hypocrisy Gets Called Out by Fans To Raise Voice for 65 YO’s Injustice

NASCAR is known for its V8 monsters roaring on the superspeedways as drivers battle each other tooth and nail to give us thrilling races and iconic photo finishes. But it’s not only the drama on-track that NASCAR provides that hooks everyone, sometimes it is the off-track drama and the controversies that get everyone’s attention and send the whole world buzzing with excitement. NASCAR has always been a magnet for controversy, whether for their rule changes or for inconsistencies in their officiating procedures.

The first controversy of the season sprung before even the teams and drivers could get their cars rolling at the Daytona 500. Mike Wallace, Kenny Wallace’s brother was set to race at the Great American Race before NASCAR shattered his dream comeback. “Wallace has not raced on an intermediate or larger racetrack since 2015. Due to this inactivity, at this time, he is not approved to race at the NASCAR Cup Series level.” This was NASCAR’s ruling, barring the veteran driver from honoring his late wife Carla.

This was a real mess as Wallace took to social media and revealed that he had the go-ahead from the NASCAR President to race at Daytona. “This comes as a total shock as the President of NASCAR last week in a real phone call told me all was good and he will see me in Daytona.” Well, NASCAR’s concern was regarding the driver’s safety and his lack of experience on the speedway tracks. The veteran driver was inactive according to NASCAR and while he raced in the Xfinity Series in 2020, all of those starts were on the road course.

The sanctioning body could’ve handled the situation better, but in the long run, it seemed like a right call. But former NASCAR driver Casey Mears getting NASCAR’s approval to race at Martinsville on March 30 has once again become a huge talking point within the racing community. Mears who won the Coca-Cola 600 in 2007 just turned 47 will drive the No. 66 HitchGO Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Grage 66.

When the news broke of Casey Mears’ impending comeback to the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, it was the cause of much excitement and buzz around the motor racing world. As the 47-year-old veteran of the sport, who last competed in the Cup Series, back in 2019, is set to make his return to NASCAR, driving the No. 66 HitchGO Ford Mustang for Garage 66 in Martinsville. 

As Bob Pockrass tweeted about Casey Mears‘ return, it caused quite a lot of uproar among the NASCAR fans. Many called out why his inactivity wasn’t taken into account, his last race was the 2019 Daytona 500. In response, Pockrass wrote, “Mears turned 47 yesterday and raced the Baja 1000 in 2023 and 2024, raced an IMCA dirt modified earlier this year and was in a race car at Thermal last year. So he doesn’t appear to have stopped racing, which should mean he’d be OK’d for at least a short track.”

But the fans weren’t convinced by this explanation and made genuine arguments on how NASCAR can’t stick by their own ruling and precedent.

Fans still not over Mike Wallace’s snub by NASCAR 

Just like Wallace, Mears has also been away from NASCAR racing. While he might have kept himself busy in some local events and grassroots-level racing, racing in the Next Gen car is a different ball game altogether. We saw how even seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson struggled to find his feat in the new car after he returned to racing in 2024. So, lack of seat time in a NASCAR race car is a genuine concern, which was flagged by this race fan.”Sorry but he shouldn’t be since he hasn’t raced in 6 years 🤷 Let alone has never set foot in this car.”

Another user couldn’t help but highlight the big concern that NASCAR has no set of written rules to allow such drivers to race. Only recently, Katherin Legge also raced in Phoneix to make her Cup Series debut, the 44-year-old British racer had almost no experience in the Next Gen car, and her day eventually ended in a wreck. “The issue, again, is how ill-defined the criteria is, which seems to be whatever they think it should be in the moment. The ‘rules’ need to be clear and easy for owners, drivers, crew chiefs, and fans to understand so everyone is on the same page about what it takes to race in the Cup series.”

One way to fix this issue is to get all these drivers approved by NASCAR through their testing parameters, using their own cars. If the drivers pass the test, they are allowed to race, if not, they might try again in the next window. At least, this will bring some sort of clarity and provide a base for NASCAR to make their decision calls. “Why doesn’t nascar just get their own next gen car and if people want to run cup put them thru an actual approval process.”

Not everyone was against Mears for making his NASCAR comeback at Martinsville. Unlike Wallace, one of the reasons why NASCAR approved his return was because it is a short oval. We’ve seen how scary things can get on a superspeedway, Ryan Preece had another life-threatening crash at Daytona. The sanctioning body wouldn’t want a non-regular driver to find themselves in such an egregious situation, “Saw him Sunday at the Phoenix race and talked to him. That guy is in great shape. He could race a car anytime. Also a great person inside and out,” proving that there are still some fans supporting Mears and his return to racing.

Where do you stand with NASCAR’s decision to allow Casey Mears to compete, while canceling out Mike Wallace’s Daytona 500 attempt?