The 2025 season has not started yet, and NASCAR has already ruffled feathers. A slew of rule changes have hit the Cup Series garage this season, starting off with the Daytona 500. According to the ‘Open Exemption Rule’, a renowned racer from an external series would be guaranteed a seat. Helio Castroneves is the first beneficiary. But at the same time, a former veteran of the sport has lost his seat.

Mike Wallace, the brother of Rusty and Kenny Wallace was slated to return to the racetrack this year. He already owns 809 starts across the three NASCAR tiers – while Castroneves owns none. Despite that, NASCAR bitterly refused Wallace’s wish to pay tribute to his late wife in his unique way.

Mike Wallace could not make it to the glam list

Well, the 2025 Daytona 500 is going to be a star-studded affair. Long-standing veterans like seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and 2017 title winner Martin Truex Jr. will be present. Brazilian speedster and four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves will compete as well. Then Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team JR Motorsports will make its very first Cup Series entry – with Justin Allgaier behind the wheel. All these glittering entries will make for a thumping storyline at the season-opening Great American Race. However, NASCAR could not accommodate Mike Wallace’s bid to compete. Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer said it was a “cart before the horse situation.”

That is what Mike Wallace lamented about recently, as he told Sportsnaut about not cutting the glam list. “I feel like we had a good storyline for NASCAR and the Daytona 500. There have been some good stories, like Dale Jr’s team entering the race and Helio Castroneves, but I feel like we gave them another good story and you can’t have too many of those these days.” Wallace was preparing to pay tribute to his wife Carla, who passed away last year after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer. Among his nine Xfinity and Craftsman Truck victories, he owns two victories in Daytona – and his wife enjoyed going there. “I feel like they took away this chance for me to honor my wife and like I said, that’s just disappointing.”

Besides, Mike Wallace also pointed out how he had all the indications that his Daytona 500 entry was a done deal. He received congratulatory messages and calls from Steve Phelps, Mike Helton, and others in the NASCAR leadership. They assured him that no hindrances would emerge. Despite that, Wallace’s entry was canceled after the test. He expected a little more clarity from the official side: “I’m confused over how the process took place, how it was supposed to take place. I didn’t know there was a process…I thought I was going to race at Daytona, at a track where I’ve won numerous times, but it was a wrong assumption.”

NASCAR has suggested a ‘roadmap’ for Mike Wallace for a possible 2026 entry. However, the driver is far from interested.

Top Comment by Jen

Absolutely. NASCAR has sunk to a new low by doing whatever they can to stir up controversy, thereby garnering ratings....more

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Wallace snuffs out any remaining interest

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On January 15th, NASCAR turned down Mike Wallace’s Daytona 500 entry. This decision came after the driver had invested a lot into the race. That included paying $2000 to make a seat mold for the No. 66 MBM Motorsports car. Then Wallace also engaged in intense workout regimes, going through all the health requirements mandated by NASCAR. That all went to waste – now NASCAR has laid out a ‘road map’ for Wallace’s possible entry in the 2026 Daytona 500. He would need to run intermediate and superspeedway races in the Xfinity Series, and then a road course and speedway races in the Cup Series. The last two would enable Wallace to practice in the Next-Gen car.

However, Mike Wallace is no longer interested. He flatly declared, “I’m not going to pursue another entity. NASCAR has made their statement to me. They were totally disrespectful to me.” Besides, the timeline to get all the events lined up can be complicated. Wallace would have to run in a competitive car to deliver a respectable result, and that would simply add to his expenses. And his purpose for this initiative was not glamor. “You know, I’m not trying to make a career out of NASCAR racing, I’ve done had that. It was going for a golden opportunity to be a part of the Great American Race…And honestly, it was an inspiration to a lot of people my age that a guy at 65 years old was ready to go racing again.”

Evidently, NASCAR has disappointed the veteran. Mike Wallace’s dream to run the Daytona race lies shattered unless he changes his mind about next year.