After Mike Wallace’s disappointing Daytona 500, former NASCAR driver Rick Mast has given a reality check on a driver’s failing response. Mast shared his perspective with Charlie Marlow, co-host of Kenny Wallace’s podcast, describing a crossover scenario in which experience and reflex play opposing roles until a certain age is reached. Wallace, a four-time Xfinity Series race winner, recently announced that he will make a one-time appearance in the 2025 Daytona 500 as part of his Cup Series comeback. In the absence of a confirmed return to the 2.5-mile superspeedway, NASCAR president Steve Phelps first gave the 65-year-old the green light before turning it red. Interestingly, Wallace has won three times at the location and would have been eligible for another chance if his most recent race had been an intermediate or a larger track not been in 2015.
According to Marlow, NASCAR ought to have offered the chance to at least earn a spot in the crown jewel event. When he inquired about Mast’s opinion, the former driver admitted that he felt horrible for the snub but also pointed out that as experience increases, reflexes tend to slow down. Your reflexes simply don’t work as well when you’re 65 years old. There comes a time when, as a young racecar driver, you have no experience and have no idea what you’re doing. “You get better and better as you go through life, and you’re better because you’re racing more and you have more experience,” Mast stated (23:08). The nine-time Xfinity Series champion went on to discuss the “intersection” after which reflexes and experience deteriorate with time.
“As you get older, your reflexes slow down. However, at some point, those two lines intersect, and even though your experience is increasing, your reflexes do not, so you are still an excellent driver. And the whole process slows down as you age, your reflexes deteriorate, and your experience slows down,” he said.
Mast explained that he doesn’t know Wallace’s position on the “crossover chart.”
Mike Wallace will be replaced for the Daytona 500 by an ex-JGR driver. Chandler Smith, a former JGR driver, has been signed by Garage 66 to drive the #66 Ford for the 500-mile race, days after Mike Wallace’s brief exhilaration was converted into a sad event.
With two Xfinity victories and a close Championship 4 miss this past season, the 22-year-old proved himself to be the organization’s top contender. In 2023, the American made an attempt at the Daytona 500 but was not able to qualify for the main event. However, Smith has a chance to improve his Cup Series chances now that NASCAR has decided to revoke Mike Wallace’s sanction. “I am thrilled to have the chance to run Garage 66 into the Daytona 500. Smith remarked through Jayski, “I can’t thank Carl Long and QuickTie enough for helping put this all together, and it’s such an honor to be in The Great American Race.” Although Mike Wallace is not permitted to compete in any NASCAR-sponsored events in 2025, he could still receive
