"A simple lack of respect": Mike Wallace reveals devastating feelings after NASCAR blocks his Daytona 500 bid

Mike Wallace, the 65-year-old NASCAR driver, expressed his disappointment in NASCAR's decision to make him ineligible to compete for a spot in the Daytona 500 field in February. He spoke about this in an interview with Toby Christie for Racing America on SI.

Born on March 10, 1959, in Fenton Missouri, Wallace competed in all three NASCAR's top divisions. His longevity and versatility made him a household name. He also had 4 wins in the Xfinity Series. The 65-year-old showcased his consistency in the NASCAR Cup Series by participating in 197 Cup Series races and having three top-5 and 14 top-10 finishes.

Wallace's last race in the Cup Series was in 2015 at Daytona. He aimed to make a comeback in this year's Daytona with MBM Motorsports. However, on January 13, he received a call in which NASCAR informed him that he wasn't eligible to compete.

In an interview with Toby Christie for Racing America on SI, he expressed his disappointment in not receiving the clearance. He said he felt disrespected by the association despite his record as a driver in the Xfinity and Truck series.

"I didn't always agree with NASCAR's opinion, but everybody has a right to agree and disagree. And to be honest, to be treated like this, a simple lack of respect,it really, really is heartbreaking.", Wallace stated

Mike Wallace stated that he had been trying to secure approval to compete at Daytona International Speedway since late December. Until the phone call on Monday, he believed he would receive the necessary authorization to race in February.

"These conversations about this started on December 22 with the upper management of NASCAR, and I was assured everything was fine," Wallace said. "And to get prolonged and stretched out, and then as recent as last Thursday be reconfirmed verbally on the phone that everything was fine"

The 65-year-old continued:

"Then, I get a call at 4:00 PM ET [Monday] telling me that I was not approved to run the Daytona 500. And not just not approved to run the Daytona 500, but I wasn't approved to run any NASCAR Cup race this year or Xfinity race or Truck race."

The Missouri native said this return to the Cup Series was not for him but for his family, especially his wife, Carla, who had passed away at the start of 2024. He was returning to the track to pay tribute to her, who was a constant presence during his full-time racing career.

"This race was not just about me. The Daytona 500 was not just about Mike Wallace. It was about my family, My kids, my grandkids today. It was going to be a race that I honored my wife Carla, who passed away a year ago, January 22nd will be a year ago. We have some cool pictures hanging around our house in the basement of her and [me] in victory lane. Whether it was Daytona or Talladega, she always loved going to those places. It was more of a storyline. And it was more of a -- I kind of had the belief that for some reason this [opportunity] was dropped on me to do this race." he said passionately.

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NASCAR Insider dejected after Mike Wallace was denied his “Cinderella Story” return to the Daytona 500

NASCAR insider Toby Christie expressed disappointment over the organization's decision to deny veteran driver Mike Wallace the opportunity to compete in the upcoming Daytona 500. He tweeted:

"This is a shame, Mike Wallace was shaping up to be a really cool Cinderella Story if he could have made the field. #NASCAR"

NASCAR cited Wallace's lack of recent racing activity, specifically his absence from intermediate and larger tracks since 2015, as the reason behind their decision.