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

NASCAR insider Toby Christie recently shared his response to NASCAR's decision to reject Mike Wallace's opportunity to compete in the upcoming iconic Daytona 500 race.

Veteran driver Wallace caught the NASCAR community's attention after announcing his plans to run the 500-mile-long race at Daytona Beach, Florida. The 65-year-old was set to collaborate with MBM Motorsports.

He would have been the second oldest driver to run the prestigious crown jewel event, piloting the No. 66. However, the Fenton, Missouri native was denied the chance to attempt to qualify based on lack of recent racing activity such as running on intermediate and larger tracks since 2015 when he last competed at Daytona International Speedway.

As a result, renowned journalist Christie didn't shy away from sharing his thoughts on NASCAR's verdict. He wrote:

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

Moreover, Wallace, the brother of former Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace, expressed his disappointment in a post on Facebook which Bob Pockrass shared on X.

"To my utter shock and devastation at 4:00 today NASCAR (Vice President of Competition) Elton Sawyer called me to inform me that NASCAR has decided not only to not approve me for Daytona 500 but at this time not (approve Wallace) to race in the Cup, Xfinity and Truck series in 2025 but could go through there (sic) process to possibly get approved for 2026," Wallace wrote.

---

"He is embarrassed": Kenny Wallace reflects on NASCAR's decision on Mike Wallace's Daytona 500 attempt

Following NASCAR's decision not to approve Mike Wallace to make an attempt to qualify for the 2025 Daytona 500 race, former driver and analyst Kenny Wallace shared his conversation with his brother Mike.

In a post on Instagram, the nine-time Xfinity race winner said:

"I received a call from brother Mike (Wallace) on this Monday and his voice sounded very dejected. He is embarrassed but the headlines are right. Mike received a phone call from Elton Sawyer and Elton said 'Mike, we're disqualifying you. Not just from the Daytona 500 but anything in NASCAR.'"

Wallace continued:

"Mike told me that he told Elton, 'Elton, we're friends but can you explain to me why?' So Elton Sawyer told Mike that 'Mike, because of your inactivity. You haven't done any racing in five years."

Mike Wallace last competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JD Motorsports in the 2020 season and drove in three races. While NASCAR's decision is final for this season, the veteran driver can add on more racing time and make an attempt again in the 2026 Daytona 500 race.