
<p>Earlier this month, Mike Wallace was denied entry into the Daytona 500 with MBM Motorsports, now known as Garage 66. <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/category/nascar/news/">NASCAR</a> made the decision to deny him entry and it caused quite a controversy. </p>



<p>Mike Wallace insists that he was more or less given clearance to race at Daytona. However, that appears to be more like a miscommunication more than anything. Still, Wallace has made multiple online posts against the decision from NASCAR. </p>



<p>During his career, Wallace won an ARCA, Truck, and Xfinity Series race at Daytona. However, he hasn’t been on an oval in NASCAR since 2015. At 65 years old, putting him on the track in the draft could be a risk to him and others. </p>



<p>Today during a media briefing, NASCAR explained there was never an approval given to Mike Wallace. They also said that they have explained to Wallace how he can work his way to making the field for the 2026 Daytona 500. </p>



<p>“NASCAR adds Mike Wallace has been given ‘a road map on how to race next year’s Daytona 500 and we’d love to see him there,'” according to <a href="https://x.com/JennaFryer/status/1883959639504740531" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jenna Fryer of the <em>Associated Press</em></a>. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="3usWQH1CRVGmeAUEMBy9f5vLa6Ixozipj"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NASCAR adds Mike Wallace has been given “a road map on how to race next year’s Daytona 500 and we’d love to see him there.” <a href="https://t.co/bwfp93VOPz">https://t.co/bwfp93VOPz</a></p>— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennaFryer/status/1883959639504740531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>
</div></figure>



<p>Mike Wallace has voiced his displeasure with the ruling. NASCAR has been adamant that they did not give approval to the 65-year-old driver. It sounds like if Wallace wants to race in the Cup Series at Daytona he is going to have to do an ARCA test of some sort. Even Shane van Gisbergen had to do one before tackling the Xfinity Series race at Daytona. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mike-wallace-not-approved-helio-castroneves-guaranteed-spot">Mike Wallace not approved, Helio Castroneves guaranteed spot</h2>



<p>One point of contention that Mike Wallace supporters have with the NASCAR decision comes from the new Open Exemption Provisional. This new rule allows for one “elite” non-full-time NASCAR driver to receive a provisional spot in the event they fail to make the 40-car field. </p>



<p>A driver with the provisional, who has to use it, will be given a 41st starting spot. For the Daytona 500, Helio Castroneves has one of these provisionals. That means if he doesn’t qualify on merit in qualifying or the Duels, he will be given the 41st spot. </p>



<p>Mike Wallace proponents don’t think this is fair. After all, Wallace has an entire career built on stock car racing. He has won races at Daytona. However, a decade out of the sport, going into a new car, and at 65 – that’s not the best argument to enter The Great American Race. </p>



<p>Is it hypocrisy? I’m not so sure. Castroneves is a four-time Indy 500 champion. His last came just four years ago in 2021. He is 15 years younger than Wallace and was competing in the Indy 500 just a year ago. </p>


Mike Wallace NASCAR Daytona 500

NASCAR

5GOATs

NASCAR clarifies Mike Wallace Daytona 500 controversy

team image

Pro News

NFL News

NFL Draft News

NBA News

NBA Draft News

Culture

Sports Betting

About

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Winback

Dives into Alabama rivalry

Alex Golesh

Calls out coaches for Bediako

Jay Bilas

Hard part now begins

Lane Kiffin

New judge link to Alabama hoops

Charles Bediako

10 teams that won the portal

Transfer Portal Winners