Drivers don’t take the opportunity to compete in the 200-lap Daytona 500 lightly, as it is the most prestigious race in NASCAR’s history. Regretfully, drivers have occasionally been prohibited from participating in the event. While some of the incidents were related to racing conditions, others resulted from off-track problems. Three NASCAR drivers that were informed they could not compete in The Great American Race will be examined in this article.
Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace is the most recent driver to be told by NASCAR that they are not allowed to participate in one of the most important events in the sport. Wallace, who has more than 800 NASCAR starts in the top three series, announced his plans ahead of next month’s event that he was going to attempt to race in this year’s Daytona 500.
However, NASCAR refused to allow Wallace to compete in this year’s event because of his recent lack of action. On Facebook last Monday, the 65-year-old, who was scheduled to drive for MBM Motorsports, expressed his amazement at NASCAR’s decision. “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 stated. “I owe this post to all of my fans and non-fans who showed such support by leaving wonderful messages and encouraging posts, stating that I inspired them.”
Kurt Busch
When Kurt Busch won his first and only Daytona 500 in 2017, it was the biggest triumph of his career. But the Las Vegas native was not allowed to compete in the tournament two years ago. The 2004 champion was given an indefinite suspension by NASCAR prior to the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series season after a court found the driver had engaged in domestic violence.
The Las Vegas native was therefore disqualified from the 2015 Daytona 500. “Given the serious nature of the findings and conclusions made by the Commissioner of the Family Court of the State of Delaware, NASCAR has indefinitely suspended driver Kurt Busch, effective immediately,” the organization said in a statement announcing Busch’s ban. Busch would lose two more races in 2015 before being reinstated. He competed in every Daytona 500 after that until stepping away from full-time NASCAR competition midway through the 2022 season.
Jeremy Mayfield
Halfway through the 2009 NASCAR Cup Series season, Jeremy Mayfield was given an indefinite suspension, which prevented him from competing in the Daytona 500 the following year. NASCAR suspended the now-55-year-old for breaking the sport’s drug-abuse rules. Mayfield’s career was ultimately cut short by the suspension because the Kentucky native never applied for reinstatement under the sport’s Road to Recovery program. Mayfield had won five races in his career before that. His most famous victory occurred at Pocono in 2000, where he won by passing the late Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time Cup Series champion, on the last lap.
