The 2025 Daytona 500 will go down on February 16, marking the beginning of yet another season of maddening NASCAR racing. One disappointed driver who won’t be a part of the competition is 65-year-old Mike Wallace. The veteran still isn’t over the promotion’s rejection of his bid to participate in the Great American Race.
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He told Sportsnaut in a recent interview that he doesn’t want to come off as a bitter person. But he is genuinely confused. He said, “I’m confused over how the process took place, how it was supposed to take place. I didn’t know there was a process. Again, I don’t want people to think I’m pissed off and angry.”
Wallace mentioned that he was just a good guy looking to race and that he could have added a good storyline to the event. His wife, Carla, passed away in January 2024 after a battle with cancer. His attempt to race was in tribute to her. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see it through. He continued to vent his frustration of the same.
“I feel like we had a good storyline for NASCAR and the Daytona 500,” he said. “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.” The main reason for NASCAR rejecting him was “inactivity.”
Will Wallace race in the 2026 Daytona 500?
Wallace’s last Cup Series start was in 2015. He started four Xfinity Series races in 2020. This wasn’t enough for the promotion to consider him well-versed in driving the Next Gen car. However, he has been given a road map to follow if he wants to participate in the 2026 Daytona 500.
He would need to race on an intermediate race track in the Xfinity Series. He would then need to race on a superspeedway as well, before racing in a short track and a road course in the Cup Series. Finally, he would need to race on a superspeedway in the Cup Series. These are the checkboxes he must tick in 2025 to be eligible for the 2026 Daytona 500.
Even if he did participate in all these events, there is no guarantee that NASCAR would allow him to take the wheel unless he has secured good results in them. The expense of racing in this long list is another problem altogether. With these requirements in mind, it is unlikely that the veteran is interested in attempting again.
