NASCAR Rant Report - Tuesday, January 14th

2025 Daytona 500 Sold Out, Mike Wallace Denied for Daytona 500, The Chili Bowl Nationals and more!

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Rant Report AI
January 14, 2025

Major headlines out of Monday:

2025 Daytona 500 Sold Out
Mike Wallace Denied for Daytona 500
NASCAR at The Chili Bowl Nationals

Plus, miscellaneous topics from the day.

2025 Daytona 500 Sold Out:

The 2025 Daytona 500 has sold out for the 10th consecutive year, as announced by Daytona International Speedway. Despite the sellout, limited upgrades and premium packages are still available. The 67th running of the race will take place on Sunday, February 16, 2025. The on-track activities begin on February 12 with practice and qualifying, followed by the Duel races on February 13. The speedway can accommodate approximately 150,000 fans, including camping, all of which is sold out for 67th Great American Race.

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Mike Wallace Denied for Daytona 500:

Veteran NASCAR driver Mike Wallace, 65, has been deemed ineligible to compete in the 2025 Daytona 500 by NASCAR due to a lack of recent racing activity and performance. Wallace, who last raced in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2015 and in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020, was set to drive for MBM Motorsports in the number 66.

Wallace expressed his disappointment on social media, noting that he had previously received positive feedback from NASCAR officials about his participation. The team is now working to secure another driver for the Daytona 500.

The controversy surrounding Wallace's eligibility also touches on his indefinite suspension by NASCAR in 2020 for violating behavioral guidelines, although he was later reinstated. Despite the setback, Wallace remains hopeful for a potential return in 2026

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NASCAR at The Chili Bowl Nationals:

The 2025 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals kicked off on Monday night at the Tulsa Expo Center with an exciting lineup of events. The night featured the first of five preliminary nights and the Race of Champions.

Key Happenings on Monday:

  • Driver Lineup: The field included 66 drivers, with notable names like Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Brent Crews competing.

  • Heat Races: The night began with heat races, where notable drivers like Kyle Larson, Justin Peck, and Ashton Torgerson performed well, advancing through the evening.

  • Qualifiers and B-Mains: The qualifiers and B-Mains determined the final lineup for the A-Main. Notables Brent Crews and Carson Bolden advanced from the B-Mains to the A-Main.

  • Race of Champions: Christopher Bell emerged victorious in the Race of Champions, followed by Daison Pursley and Tanner Thorson. Kyle Larson finished seventh in this race.

  • Preliminary Feature: Kyle Larson won the preliminary feature, securing a spot in Saturday's main event. Shane Golobic finished second, also earning a lock-in spot. Cannon McIntosh, who flipped in his heat race, rebounded to finish third.

The Monday night action set the stage for an intense week of racing, with top drivers vying for a spot in the prestigious Chili Bowl main event.

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Miscellaneous Topics:

NASCAR champion Kurt Busch has been medically cleared to join Travis Pastrana on Team USA for the 2025 Race Of Champions (ROC) at Sydney, Australia’s Accor Stadium in March. This will be Busch's third appearance at the event, which features top drivers from various motorsport disciplines, including Formula 1, World Rally, and Supercars. Busch, who retired from full-time NASCAR competition in 2022 after a concussion, expressed his excitement about competing again.

Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi, both motorsports’ writers for The Athletic, returned for the 2025 season premiere of their podcast “The Teardown”, hosted on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media. They discuss current happenings in the sport, mostly the new rule changes announced over the weekend.

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This newsletter is constructed by AI and reviewed by our editorial team.

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