“My life is way more important”: 65-year-old Mike Wallace hinges his 2025 Daytona 500 attempt on gut feeling 

Former NASCAR driver Mike Wallace is set to return to attempt the iconic Daytona 500 race at Daytona International Speedway on February 16. As a result, this announcement by the 65-year-old Wallace has stirred up the NASCAR community.

Mike Wallace is the younger brother of former Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and the older brother of NASCAR analyst Kenny Wallace. While the Fenton, Missouri native hasn't found much success in NASCAR's premier division, he has managed a couple of top-10 finishes at the Daytona 500 in his two-decade-long career. Moreover, he once won the inaugural Truck Series at Daytona Beach, Florida in 2000.

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Wallace shared his thoughts keeping in mind the various opinions of others on his Daytona 500 attempt next month. He said:

"Trying to get as educated as I can. But I did tell my kids that, 'Hey, when I roll out on a racetrack,'[...] That if something doesn't feel right to me, look, my life is way more important than anybody else. So if something doesn't feel right to me, I'll just call it. 'Hey, we tried, you know, but we'll put somebody else in that baby[car]." [0:43 onwards]

Furthermore, he added:

"But I don't think that's going to happen. At least I hope not. And, you know, the more cars are in these qualifiers are exciting. And the sport needs that right now. We need excitement. NASCAR has been a part of my life for many years."

Moreover, the 4-time Xfinity race winner detailed the approval process it took for a chance to attempt the prestigious Daytona 500 race.

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Mike Wallace opened up on the details to get approval from NASCAR for his Daytona 500 attempt

Speaking with Alan Cavanna of SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Mike Wallace laid out the steps he had to take to get NASCAR's approval for his Daytona 500 attempt.

Wallace last competed in the 2015 NASCAR season and recently detailed the steps for his 'approval process'. He said:

"Look, I lay it all out to everybody openly. I call, I text Steve Phelps when this opportunity happens; that’s the president of NASCAR. My comment was, ‘Steve got this opportunity; I hope NASCAR with open arms is welcoming back. Yeah, look forward to seeing you here'. Elton Sawyer says, 'I'll look you up with membership. Carl Long says, 'Hey man, we need to get this all approved through Chad Little. You know, he's the final guy.'"

Wallace continued:

"We sent a letter to Chad; Chad sent us a note back, 'All looks good to us, I'll run it by the group, but I don't see any problem. So we're taking that as we have no problems.' I mean, I guess there's plenty of time that somebody could change their mind, but once we were given that email from Chad, saying everything looks fine, we took it and made the announcement."

Mike Wallace will attempt to mark his return by driving the #66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for MBM Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway on February 16.