Mike Wallace is back in NASCAR, running the Daytona 500 for MBM Motorsports, MBM announced Jan. 2.
Wallace will drive MBM’s No. 66, which has competed part time in the series for the past few years as an open team, meaning he will need to qualify his way into the 40-car field.
“I am very excited to be teamed up with [MBM owner] Carl Long and the complete MBM Motorsports team, along with Doug Yates’ support, for a return trip to the Daytona 500 after being away for a few years,” Wallace said in a team release. “I just can’t wait to work with Carl again in the first laps of practice at the World Center of Speed, Daytona International Speedway.
“I say it that way out of the enormous honor and respect I have for Daytona, along with all the pride and prestige it brings to myself and my team as a winner here. Fortunately, I did win the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona, so my name is etched in the history books, along with my [NASCAR] Xfinity Series and ARCA wins at the speedway.”
“I watched Mike have a lot of success at superspeedways,” team owner Carl Long added. “I brought him into the JGL Racing Xfinity Series team I helped to build, where we worked together as teammates.
“As a driver, I know Daytona requires a great amount of mental skill to succeed. Mike has always been one of the best plate racers, and the skill set he brings makes him the best choice among drivers to be able to race our way into the Daytona 500.”
Wallace has 197 career Cup starts but last competed in a race in the series in 2015, when he made the Daytona 500 — also in the No. 66 — for Premium Motorsports.
His most recent national-series appearance had been in 2020, running three NASCAR Xfinity Series races for JD Motorsports.
Wallace is the second driver announced to MBM’s national-series stable for 2025. Chad Finchum was previously revealed to be competing for the team in the Xfinity race at Texas Motor Speedway.
About the author
Rutherford is the managing editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2015 after serving on the editing staff for two years. At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.
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