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NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass explained NASCAR's ruling for the Open Exemption Provisional driver after Mike Wallace was denied a run of the 2025 Daytona 500. At the same time, Helio Castroneves was allowed to run with Trackhouse Racing.
Mike Wallace is a former NASCAR driver with immense experience in racing at the Daytona International Speedway. He has raced in multiple Daytona 500s and has also won a race on the track back in 2000 in the Truck Series. Also adding to his racing portfolio is the Xfinity Series, where he stepped on the track many times.
However, the last time he raced on the track was back in 2015. 10 years later, he wanted to step back on the track. However, NASCAR denied his entry, citing a lack of recent experience and safety measures. The sanctioning body reportedly also guided him on how to participate next year.
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Meanwhile, they allowed Helio Castroneves to race with Trackhouse Racing. This all comes under the Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) scheme that NASCAR introduced for 2025. This allows any "world-class driver" to participate in a Cup Series race even if it needs to be done by adding extra cars to the 40-car field.
Insider Bob Pockrass explained the rule, mentioning that the request needs to be made 90 days prior to the event, which Trackhouse apparently did for Castroneves and is one of the reasons Wallace wasn't allowed to run this year.
"NASCAR says the driver provisional can be requested for a former full-time Cup driver who is elite credentials. So someone such as Johnson and Truex potentially could ask for it. Still must be asked 90 days prior, which they said Trackhouse did for Castroneves," he wrote on X.
Mike Wallace shares a statement after NASCAR disallows him to participate in the Daytona 500
Wallace was a prominent racer in the series with major experience in all three leagues. He participated in close to 500 races in the Xfinity Series itself, with his most recent venture in 2020. There were another 300 races that he participated in inclusive of both the Truck and the Cup Series.
Yet, he was not eligible to qualify for the Daytona 500, according to NASCAR. Following the ruling, he shared a post on social media, writing:
"It appears as I dedicated over 30 years of my life to support a national sanctioned racing series and recently made to believe verbally by the highest of management I would be able to attempt to qualify for one of the biggest races of the 2025 Motorsports season," he wrote on Facebook.
"Only to be told by the highest of management again today verbally I did not have enough current experience and my 800 plus races with all that past experience and my winning success meant absolutely nothing and today I’m not talented enough to race the current cars. Even though the series is going to allow a driver with no (zero) experience in this series to be guaranteed a starting position in this world famous race," he added.
Wallace's most recent participation includes three Xfinity Series races with JD Motorsports in the 2020 season. Although he did not perform phenomenally well, he did manage to finish within the top 25.
