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NASCAR team suddenly in need of a new driver for the 2025 Daytona 500

BBG News

Mike Wallace was intended to take control of car number 66 (Ford) at Daytona International Speedway during a solo qualifying round and one of the Bluegreen Vacations Duel races, with the aim of securing a spot in the upcoming 67th Daytona 500.

Nevertheless, NASCAR determined that the 65-year-old Wallace is barred from attempting to qualify for the race, as he hasn’t participated in significant professional motorsport events for quite some time. Despite his history of competing in the “Great American Race” on 11 previous occasions, he last did so in 2015.

Suddenly, due to unforeseen circumstances, Carl Long’s team find themselves in need of a replacement driver for car number 66, as Wallace won’t have the chance to make history by driving five different generations of cars in the Cup Series a few weeks from now.

MBM Motorsports have been absent from the Daytona 500 since their last participation in 2020, when Timmy Hill managed to qualify for the race. However, they made attempts to qualify for the event in both 2021 and 2022 without success. They chose not to participate in the entire 2023 Cup Series season, and their return was only after the 2024 season opener had taken place.

Mike Wallace out, but who is in?

Due to the team’s less competitive nature and the possibility of up to 11 unofficial cars vying for just four starting positions in the Daytona 500, it was going to be a challenging task for the team to secure their first Daytona 500 appearance after a five-year hiatus.

It was rarely going to be a matter of being one of only two options to compete for speed; instead, it seemed more probable that the competition would eventually lead to a head-to-head race, also known as a Duel race.

Wallace’s absence definitely complicates things, and there’s a strong possibility that they may skip this competition altogether; in 2024, there were several instances where they had intended to participate in a race but ultimately didn’t show up. They function on a per-race basis, and now they’re back to needing financial support with less than a month remaining before Speedweeks commence.

As a devoted fan, I’m anxiously wondering if a skilled driver or generous sponsor can manage to pull through with the needed finances for a team that seems to be on the brink of missing out on the main event?

The Daytona 500 trials are planned for Wednesday, February 12. The Bluegreen Vacations Duels will occur the next day, Thursday, February 13, starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Fox. Lastly, the “Great American Race” is set for Sunday, February 16, also on Fox, airing at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

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2025-01-17 17:02

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