With over 800 begins on the nationwide degree, and 197 in Cup, Mike Wallace was wanting ahead to creating an surprising return to the game in subsequent month’s Daytona 500. However the veteran driver, even with 11 Daytona 500 begins and 16 makes an attempt, was denied a seventeenth, as confirmed by a NASCAR spokesperson to Motorsport.com.
NASCAR cited “latest racing exercise and efficiency” because the driving components behind this choice, noting that he has not competed at bigger oval tracks (intermediate and up) in a decade. “As a consequence of this inactivity, right now, he’s not authorised to race on the NASCAR Cup Sequence degree.” The collection added that he has not requested approval for competing within the Truck or Xfinity Sequence.
“This comes as a complete shock”
The 65-year-old was presupposed to pilot the No. 66 MBM Motorsports Ford, and claims NASCAR’s choice got here as a little bit of a shock, believing himself eligible to run the race. He reacted to the information with the next Fb submit: “Daytona 500 NON replace! To my utter shock and devastation at 4:00 right this moment NASCAR competitors director Elton Sawyer known as to tell me that NASCAR has determined not solely to not approve me for Daytona 500, however right now not approve [me] to race within the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck collection in 2025, however might undergo [their] course of to probably get authorised for 2026. This comes as a complete shock because the President of NASCAR final week in an actual cellphone name advised me all was good and he’ll see me in Daytona. I owe this posting to all my followers and non followers who have been so supportive by way of the nice messages and postings of help as they are saying I impressed them!”
Chad Finchum, Energy Supply, Cooper&Hunter Ford Mustang
Picture by: Gavin Baker / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
With out Wallace on the helm, what occurs to the No. 66 automobile? The eldest Wallace brother went on to induce folks to help MBM Motorsports and staff proprietor Carl Lengthy, now scrambling to discover a driver only one month earlier than NASCAR’s greatest race. The staff launched their very own assertion saying that “MBM Motorsports can verify that NASCAR has deemed Mike Wallace isn’t eligible to compete within the 2025 Daytona 500, regardless of eleven earlier 500 begins and a number of other superspeedway wins, on account of lack of latest races in main skilled motorsports.
MBM Motorsports ran a partial schedule in 2024, beginning 13 races with six completely different drivers. Even when they discover a driver in time, they face an uphill climb with solely 4 open slots on the grid plus the lately added Open Exemption Provisional, which is barely obtainable to Helio Castroneves and the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Staff. As much as 9 open groups could possibly be heading to the five hundred, together with the doubtless look of former Cup champions Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr.
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