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- The Elder Busch Makes an Unexpected Return
The Elder Busch Makes an Unexpected Return
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Jan 16, 2025 | Edition #124
š Dear Motorheads,
It's pretty wild out there! No fan is happy with the reasoning NASCAR gave to deny the returning veteranāMike Wallaceāhis entry into the Daytona 500. But as this uproar was rising, the Lucky Dog stumbled upon a lesser-known and much more emotional aspect of the story.
šŖļø Cause for Controversy
NASCAR Crushes Veteranās Heartwarming Wish
Remember NASCARās wild new rule where they let celebrity drivers from other series be a part of the Daytona 500, even if they fail to qualify? Yeah, that's still a thing. But here's the problem: after all that, they just denied one of their own to enter the big race.
By now, you might've already heard about Mike Wallace's crazy story. The veteran driver got an interesting text from NASCAR's president Steve Phelps, and let's just say he was stoked. But then, out of nowhere, his entry got denied on a random Tuesday morning.
What really makes us sad, though, is the fact that Wallace wasn't just racing for himself. He wanted to pay tribute to his wife, Carla, who passed away last year. Heād planned to take some photos with his family on pit road, just like he and Carla used to do. He explained this to the fans in a heartbreaking Facebook post.
So why did NASCAR go back on their decision? Apparently, it's because he's been inactive in racing since 2015 and hasn't driven the Next-Gen car. But here's the thing: the rules also say that drivers can still compete if they request it two weeks before the event. And since the Lucky Dogās been keeping count, itās 31 days to go until Daytona. Meaning, Wallace should've been good to go.
Honestly, this whole thing smells fishy to us, especially since NASCAR's been known to have beef with MBM Motorsports (the team Wallace was gonna race for) and their owner Carl Long. In case you donāt remember the controversy, here is a quick refresher. And let's not forgetā¦ NASCAR's making exceptions for drivers from other series, like Helio Castroneves, who's never even competed in NASCAR.
It's all pretty weird if you ask us. A one-off appearance by a veteran driver like Wallace is usually a big deal in NASCAR. It's a great story, and it's got all the feels. So, what's really going on here? We're not entirely sure, but we'll be keeping an eye on this one.
Continue Reading: Mike Wallace Lashes Out at āDisrespectfulā NASCARās Betrayal
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š Trending News
Kurt Busch is Back!
Letās be honest. We all manifested this to some extent. To say the least, the guyās a Cup Champion. He deserves a far better farewell for his exciting racing career. And now, it's official. He's back behind the wheel! But, with a twist.
He's not jumping back into a NASCAR ride, yet (as weāre hoping). Instead, he's trading in his stock car for a chance to represent Team USA at the Race of Champions.
Itās actually a familiar stage for Busch, who last competed in the RoC in 2017 alongside his younger brother Kyle. The two made a killer team, finishing second to Team Germany. To give you a glimpse of how intense things got, hereās a battle between Kurt and F1 driver, David Coulthard.
While weāre stoked to see Busch back in action, we're also a little worried. That crash at Pocono back in 2022, which left him with some serious concussions, was brutal. That scary image of the wrecked #45 Toyota is still burned in our brains. From there, Kurtās had a long, tough road to recovery, struggling to even get behind the wheel of a simulator due to lingering pain. And now, he's gearing up to face off against some of the best drivers in the world, including F1 champ Sebastian Vettel.
Despite all of that, Buschās itching to prove himself all over again. āThat is what I have strived for my whole career and to receive another invite from a Race of Champions is a chance to go up against the best.ā
The thought of him pushing himself too hard, too soon, is a little unsettling for us all. But for now, letās enjoy the fact that heās back, and hope weāll beat Germany this time.
š Lucky Dogās Quick Poll š
Where Does Kurt Busch Rank Among the Greatest NASCAR Drivers of All Time? |
Last Pollās Result: Asking whether NASCAR should give any special treatment to drivers from other series, we got an overwhelming response. Unsurprisingly though, 75.64% of readers said āNo Way!ā As one reader rightly pointed out, āIf these F1 drivers are supposed to be the best in the world, then why do they need an exemption?"
šļø NASCAR Shorts!
Thereās Drama at Chili Bowl
Speaking on non-NASCAR series, the 2025 Chili Bowl is totally living up to its rep as a crazy event. We've got NASCAR stars like Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson tearing it up on the track, but it is the drama off the track that has got everyone talking.
On the third day of the event, things got heated between two crew members. Like, seriously heated. The situation escalated fast and an official had to step in and break it up. Good for us, the whole thing was uploaded to Twitter.
š The In-Depth View
We Check if HMS Drivers Are Lying to Us
Apart from bringing you fresh NASCAR updates, today weāre also playing fact-checkers! And we have our eye on the winningest team: Hendrick Motorsports. Recently, their four spearheads spilled the beans on their favorite tracks, and we're here to see if those tracks love them back.
First up, Kyle Larson. No surprise here - he's all about Bristol. And why shouldnāt he be? It's like the ultimate dirt sprint car track. Plus, Larson's stats are pretty impressive there, with 1,351 laps led. Fun fact though, his finishes at Bristol are not as solid as his starts. His best average finish is actually at Dover (8.2), and he's got the most top 5s at Phoenix (9). And let's not forget those three wins at Vegas and Michigan each!
Next, we've got Chase Elliott, and his favorite track is Dover. He says it just "kind of suits" him, and we can see why. The guy's got an average finish of 9.5, two wins, and 10 top 5s there.
Now, William Byron's choice was a bit of a surprise - Darlington. We get it, though - it's āThe Track Too Tough to Tameā, and Byron's all about the challenge. But if we're being real, his stats say Martinsville is his true love. Two wins, five top 5s, eight top 10s, and 360 laps led? That's a pretty strong case.
Last but not least, we've got Alex Bowman, who played it safe by choosing two favorites: Dover (sensing a theme here?) and COTA (where he hopes to win). Bowman's picks are a bit of a wild card, but if we take a deeper look at it, we'd say Kansas is his true favorite. He's got a 14.7 average finish and ten top 10s there. Maybe if he'd won that tight race with Brad Keselowski back in 2019, he'd have said Kansas was his number one.
šļø 31 Days Till Daytona
The Most Chaotic Daytona 500 Ever!
You know which race weāre talking about. It is the 2012 Daytona 500, which was just plain crazy! To start off, the race got postponed because of rain, which was a first for NASCAR at Daytona. Weāre sure the folks at NASCAR and NBC were bummed about losing that sweet Sunday prime-time viewership, but little did they know, the real show was just getting started.
It was halfway through the race under caution when Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his car and slammed right into a jet dryer. Yeah, you read that right - a jet dryer! Those things are like giant blowtorches, with jet engines and 200 gallons of kerosene. So you can imagine how big the fire would have been. Actuallyā¦ you donāt need to imagine. Hereās a video of that incident. (We've even thrown some bonus clips from the race in there, like Dale Jr racing other drivers. On foot. To the porta potty).
Montoya, who had just complained about the car moments before, was pretty shaken. He said, "I've hit a lot of things - but a jet dryer?" Can you blame him? But here's the funny part: while the safety crew was busy cleaning up the mess, Brad Keselowski was busy tweeting the whole ordeal. Hereās what he posted.
Now, this was a first - a driver giving us a play-by-play of the action from his perspective, just a few car lengths away. Naturally, Keselowski's Twitter followers went through the roof that day.
But they were probably not as much as he would have liked. So he tried to pull the same stunt at Phoenix, and let's just say it didn't end well. NASCAR fined him $25,000 and took away his phone privileges. Fair call, if you consider safety to be a factor there.
Despite this last bit, that legendary tweet from Keselowski will always be legendary, alongside that wild 2012 Daytona 500 race.
š° Lucky Dog's Recommended Reads
NASCARās āWorstā Driver Dragged to Court Over Shocking Issue - Full Story
Rick Hendrick's Huge Daytona 500 Favor to Dale Jr Revealed - Full Story
NASCAR Goes Through Major Shakeup After Chase Elliottās Brutal Criticism - Full Story
NASCAR Fans Furious at Leaked Controversial Cost-Cutting Strategy - Full Story
Amy Earnhardt Sends Chilling Warning to Fans After Her āF**ked Upā Experience - Full Story
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