NASCAR veteran denied first Daytona 500 start since 2015

Mike Wallace was by no means guaranteed to compete in next month's 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway just because MBM Motorsports announced him as their driver, given the uphill battle faced by organization just to get into the race.

There look like there could be upwards of 10 non-chartered (open) cars going for the final four spots in the starting lineup for the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval.

And MBM Motorsports haven't exactly been competitive when they have made their limited Cup Series appearances in recent years. In other words, they are probably not going to be one of the two entries to lock in on speed in the single-car qualifying session; they will likely need to race their way in via one of the two Bluegreen Vacations Duel races.

The Carl Long-owned team most recently competed in the "Great American Race" in 2020; they tried and failed to do so in both 2021 and 2022 and have not been back since. Wallace has not competed in the race since 2015.

And he won't compete in 2025 either.

Due to his lack of recent experience in major professional motorsports events, NASCAR ruled that Wallace cannot drive the No. 66 Ford next month. Wallace's 2015 Daytona 500 start remains his most recent start in any Cup Series race.

Had the 65-year-old Fenton, Missouri native been allowed to qualify for the race and successfully done so, he would have become the first driver in Cup Series history to compete across five generations of cars.

Instead, MBM Motorsports are left looking for a new driver who can supply funding, and with under a month to go until the start of Speedweeks, this latest obstacle could make it difficult for the team to even end up placing their No. 66 Ford on the official entry list.

And even if they do find someone else to take Wallace's place, simply getting into the race would still be a tall task. Thus far, five other open entries have been confirmed, and there look like there could be up to five more added.

Daytona 500 single-car qualifying is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 12, setting the stage for the two Bluegreen Vacations Duel races on Thursday, February 13 (7:00 p.m. ET on Fox). The 67th annual edition of the "Great American Race" itself is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 16 (2:30 p.m. ET on Fox).