$9M-worth Kenny Wallace gives blunt assessment of NASCAR's "discouraging" rule change bringing Helio Castroneves to the Daytona 500

Kenny Wallace has delivered his clear take on NASCAR's decision to guarantee IndyCar legend Helio Castroneves a seat in the season opener Daytona 500. This comes after the governing body released its updated rulebook, which was introduced with the Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) system.

The rule allows 'World Class Drivers' to automatically enter a Cup Series race, after requesting at least 90 days before the event. NASCAR didn't clarify what 'World Class Drivers' means and didn't state a fixed criteria for approval, but they mentioned the governing body's discretion would prevail.

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, having a net worth of $9 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), expressed his clear opinion about the rulebook change. Though the nine-time Xfinity Series race winner heaped praise on Helio Castroneves, the four-time Indy 500 winner, a four-time IndyCar championship runner-up, and more, but was critical about NASCAR's decision to let Castroneves race without testing the NextGen car, slamming the governing body for their "discouraging" decision.

"NASCAR has done something that discourages people from coming to race NASCAR. So do you know that to save money, which is good. If you want to come and run a NASCAR Cup Series, do you know there's no testing...can you believe that?" Wallace said (3:47).

Wallace outlined that Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth could get up to speed quickly in other four-wheel racing disciplines but would've wanted to practice beforehand to gel with the conditions, and extended his dig at NASCAR.

"You are discouraging any driver that is world-class coming to NASCAR. If you're a Formula 1 driver, if you're an IndyCar driver, they all practice." (6:40)

It's worth mentioning that Wallace's brother Mike Wallace will run his Daytona 500. since 2015

Kenny Wallace underlines Kyle Larson's example in response to NASCAR's OEP rule

Larson eyed to join Tony Stewart among the drivers to complete the 1100-mile Memorial Day Double in a single day. Despite a strong start from fifth place, late race issues and pit road speeding penalties destroyed a potentially promising outcome.

Moreover, inclement weather conditions delayed the IndyCar annual race, leading to his non-participation in the Cup Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, jeopardizing his championship fight. But he got a waiver later.

Nonetheless, the Hendrick Motorsports ace practiced thoroughly for months before he embarked on his career-first Indy 500 race and could've scored big. Kenny Wallace cited it as an example as he opined on NASCAR's OEP policy.

"Kyle Larson spent one month practicing for the Indy 500, then he spent days out there at Phoenix practicing. Larson spent days practicing at Phoenix to get ready for the Indy 500, then Kyle Larson spent one month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, practicing for the Indy 500," Kenny Wallace said (6:55).

Do you think NASCAR's decision to allow OEP-eligible drivers an automatic entry in a Cup Series race without requiring thorough testing is viable?