“Took away this chance to honor my wife”: Mike Wallace dejected by NASCAR’s ‘disappointing’ decision for 65-YO’s Daytona 500 bid

Due to inactivity, former NASCAR driver Mike Wallace was told by NASCAR that he was barred from attempting to race in this year's Daytona 500. The four-time Xfinity Series winner expressed his thoughts on the situation in a recent interview.

In an article by Sportsnaut, Wallace told the publication that he isn't sure why he isn't allowed to attempt the Daytona 500 and was unaware that there was a "process" that led to NASCAR's decision. However, the Missouri native wanted it known that he wasn't bitter about the situation. Wallace said via Sportsnaut:

“I’m confused over how the process took place, how it was supposed to take place. I didn’t know there was a process. Again, I don’t want people to think I’m pissed off and angry. I’m just a good guy that wanted to race, had a good cause, and wanted to help a small team.”

Wallace planned on attempting to make it to the Daytona 500 behind the wheel of the #66 car owned by MBM Motorsports. However, Wallace only has five Xfinity Series stars since his last Cup start in 2015, and subsequently, was deemed ineligible due to inactivity. Chandler Smith will now pilot the #66 and attempt to make the race.

While he isn't holding any grudges, Wallace couldn't hide the fact that he was disappointed.

“I’m just very confused,” Wallace said. “I’m not hung up on it anymore. I thought I was going to race at Daytona, at a track where I’ve won numerous times, but it was a wrong assumption. Just disappointed.”

Wallace noted there are many interesting storylines heading into the Daytona 500, including the NASCAR debut of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and the Cup Series debut of Jr. Motorsports. The 65-year-old was hoping to give NASCAR another great story by racing in honor of his late wife, Carla, who tragically lost her battle with ovarian cancer last year.

Unfortunately for Wallace, he won't be getting that chance.

“Maybe I just took it to the wrong table,” Wallace said. “I may have made a wrong assumption. There’s senior leadership and there’s the competition department. It just hurts that I feel like they took away this chance for me to honor my wife and like I said, that’s just disappointing."

Despite being out of action for so long, Wallace has amassed a sizeable amount of appearances across his NASCAR tenure.

How long did Mike Wallace race in NASCAR?

Mike Wallace during the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Image credits - Motorcyclesports.net)

Mike Wallace, the younger brother of retired NASCAR Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and older brother of retired driver Kenny Wallace, was a staple in the sport's garage for many years. Stretching from 1990-2020, Wallace has over 800 NASCAR starts across the top three major series.

Mike Wallace has four victories in the Xfinity Series and five in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. His last Xfinity win came at Daytona in 2004, while his final Truck triumph came at Talladega in 2011.