"This ain't right": Kenny Wallace claims NASCAR's new rules for Helio Castroneves won't sit well with drivers

Kenny Wallace recently shared his thoughts on NASCAR introducing new rules that benefit Helio Castroneves running the Daytona 500. Amid Helio Castroneves attempting the Daytona 500, the governing body confirmed that the 4x Indy 500 winner will get a guaranteed spot because of the 'Open Exemption Provisional' rule.

The rule was something NASCAR defined as an entry point for 'world-class drivers who enter a NASCAR Cup Series race.'

This was a subject of discussion on the recent episode of Herm Schrader as the two co-hosts, Wallace and Ken Schrader shared their views on it. Wallace gave a basic rundown of the rule, what it allows, and how even if Castroneves fails to qualify for the Daytona 500, he'd still get to have a starting spot in the race.

Sharing his thoughts on the same, Ken Schrader said:

"Helio hasn't done that. Can Helio do it? Hell yeah. Of course he can. What's a world class driver? I mean, I don't know. That's a little vague, what a world class driver is. But obviously, whatever in the hell it is, we know Helio is one of them." [15:00]

Schrader added that he wasn't sure 100% whether he agrees with NASCAR's new rule considering it's a little vague. This led to Kenny Wallace mentioning Denny Hamlin and his reaction amid the announcement of this rule on Friday.

Wallace said that Hamlin's outspokenness is something they have to rely on considering he's brave enough to make NASCAR exciting. The veteran mentioned Hamlin's reaction on social media, in which the JGR driver had simply written, 'Lol. Wow.'

Further sharing his thoughts on this subject, Wallace said:

"Here's what I think ... I don't think the NASCAR drivers like it. But the problem is everybody loves Helio. If it was somebody who was a bad guy, everybody will be up and arms like, 'Oh man.' This is Helio, we love him but this ain't right."

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Helio Castroneves couldn't turn down the idea of racing in the biggest race of NASCAR

On January 7th, Trackhouse Racing announced that Helio Castroneves would be their entry with Project 91 for the Daytona 500. It was further revealed that the Brazilian would be sponsored by Wendy's, and have Darian Grubb as his crew chief.

It's worth mentioning that Grubb has extensive experience with some of the biggest organizations in the sport. He worked with HMS in two stints, from 2003 to 2008, and then from 2016 to 2020. In between these two stints, he also worked with JGR and SHR.

On the other side, Castroneves is one of the most successful modern legends in racecar driving. He has notably won four Indy 500s and three Rolex 24 hours of Daytona in a row. Speaking about his upcoming foray into NASCAR Cup racing in the Daytona 500, Castroneves said:

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing. This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down."

Castroneves further thanked his sponsor, Wendy's for allowing him to wear their uniform and enabling his NASCAR start in the Great American Race.