Mike Wallace, now 65, has not participated in a Cup Series race since the 2015 Daytona 500. MBM Motorsports recently announced that Wallace would try to qualify for the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, and the No. 66 Ford was added to the provisional entry list.
The Carl Long-owned team has not participated in the “Great American Race” at the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval since 2020, when Timmy Hill qualified. The team attempted to qualify for the race again in 2021 and 2022 but failed both times, and did not return in 2023 or 2024. He was aiming to become the first driver to ever compete in five generations of Cup Series cars and needed to lock into the race either on speed in the single-car qualifying session or on his result in one of the two Bluegreen Vacations Duel races.
Now, at least this year, he won’t even have the opportunity to attempt. MBM Motorsports is in need of a new driver for the No. 66 Ford after NASCAR decided that Wallace cannot compete at the “World Center of Racing” next month due to his lack of recent experience in major professional motorsport events.
Given that Speedweeks begins in less than a month and the team is now looking for a driver who can provide sponsorship to support the entry, there is no assurance that MBM Motorsports will even make the entry list at this time. It’s also important to note that, with up to ten non-chartered (open) vehicles vying for the four available places in the Daytona 500 lineup, MBM Motorsports face an uphill battle just to get into the race as it is, so attracting a new driver and a new major sponsor for a race they may not even be in could prove difficult.
It goes without saying that the team’s relative lack of speed means they are unlikely to be one of the two open entries to lock in on speed. As a result, their new driver would have to compete in one of the Duel races, which would be difficult given the crowded field of open entries vying for the final two spots. The Bluegreen Vacations Duel races are set for Thursday, February 13 (7:00 p.m. ET on Fox), while the single-car Daytona 500 qualifying is set for Wednesday, February 12. The actual “Great American Race” will air on Fox on Sunday, February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
