Mike Wallace denied NASCAR approval for Daytona 500

MBM Motorsports will have to find another driver for its No. 66 Ford ahead of next month’s Daytona 500.

Mike Wallace, who was announced earlier this month he would attempt to race his way into The Great American Race, informed his fans on social media he was not approved by NASCAR to attempt the season-opening race for the NASCAR Cup Series.

The 65-year-old Wallace said he found out around 4 p.m. ET Monday (Jan. 13) he would not be approved to race via a phone call from NASCAR competition director Elton Sawyer.

“This comes as a total shock as the president of NASCAR last week in a real phone call told me all was good and he will see me in Daytona,” Wallace said in a social media post.

Wallace’s last NASCAR start came in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020 and his last Cup Series start came in the 2015 Daytona 500.

“MBM Motorsports can confirm that NASCAR has deemed Mike Wallace is not eligible to compete in the 2025 Daytona 500, despite eleven previous 500 starts and several superspeedway wins, due to lack of recent races in major professional motorsports,” MBM Motorsports said in a statement.

“We are devastated for Mike and the Wallace family that this opportunity will not come to fruition. For MBM, we must regroup at this late stage with the loss of our driver and sponsor for The Great American Race.”

The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16.