NASCAR did not approve 65-year-old driver Mike Wallace, who hasn’t competed in a Cup Series race since 2015, to get behind the wheel for MBM Motorsports at the Daytona 500.

Had he been approved, Wallace would have been the second-oldest driver to start the race.

A NASCAR spokesperson said that Wallace has not raced on any intermediate or larger tracks since 2015, leading to his rejection for Daytona consideration. It would also have been Wallace’s first time racing in NASCAR’s Next Gen car, which was introduced in 2022.

NASCAR did not shut the door on Wallace entering the race for 2026, but the driver said he was stunned by the rejection in a Facebook post late Monday.

“This comes as a total shock as the President of NASCAR last week in a real phone call told me all was good and he will see me in Daytona,” Wallace said in his post. “I owe this posting to all my fans and non fans who were so supportive through the great messages and postings of support as they say I inspired them!”

Wallace wrote that he was not approved to race in the Cup, Xfinity or Truck series in 2025. He also said there were sponsors committed to MBM Motorsports and him specifically for the Daytona 500 effort.

Wallace made 197 career starts in the Cup series, with the last coming at the 2015 Daytona 500. He notched 14 top-10 finishes on NASCAR’s top circuit but never won a Cup race.

Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz died last week of an apparent drug overdose, according to a Phoenix police report obtained by the Baltimore Banner.

The police report said Matusz’s mother found him in his home on Jan. 6 when she went to check on him. The report states that Matusz, who was 37, was on his back on a couch with a white substance in his mouth and aluminum foil, a lighter and a straw on the floor near his hand.

There were no apparent injuries, trauma or signs of foul play, according to the police report. But as part of the death investigation, Matusz’s body was taken to the medical examiner in Maricopa County.

Matusz, the No. 4 pick in the 2008 MLB draft, spent almost his entire eight-year career with the Orioles. He pitched in 279 games for Baltimore, making 68 starts.

He eventually became a reliever and was most known for his success against Hall of Famer David Ortiz, who went 4-for-29 (.138) with 13 strikeouts in his career against Matusz.

Matusz pitched in the 2012 and 2014 postseason for the Orioles and was traded to the Atlanta Braves in May 2016 and released a week later.

He signed with the Chicago Cubs, where he pitched in the minors except for one three-inning major league start on July 31, 2016.

Matusz’s pitching career ended in 2019.

The first 12-team College Football Playoff is down to the final two contenders: Notre Dame and Ohio State.

The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish and eighth-seeded Buckeyes will meet Jan. 20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T. Whichever team wins will end a championship drought. Notre Dame aims for its first title since 1988. Ohio State’s lull isn’t nearly as long, as the Buckeyes won the first CFP championship a decade ago, but given how consistently elite they are, it seems like a while.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Ohio State’s Ryan Day are also aiming for their first championships as head coaches, and Freeman’s past will be in the spotlight. Freeman and the Irish lost to the Buckeyes and Day in each of the past two seasons. But after a masterful coaching job this season, Freeman now will face his alma mater — he was an All-Big Ten linebacker for Ohio State under coach Jim Tressel — with everything on the line. Day, meanwhile, can secure the loftiest goal for a team that fell short of earlier ones, but never stopped swinging.

Here’s your first look at the championship matchup and what to expect in the ATL. — Adam Rittenberg

When: Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

What we learned in the semifinal: Notre Dame’s resilience and situational awareness/execution are undeniably its signature traits and could propel the team to a title. The Irish have overcome injuries all season and did so again against Penn State. They also erased two deficits and continued to hold the edge in the “middle eight” — the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half — while dominating third down on both sides of the ball. Notre Dame can rely on front men such as quarterback Riley Leonard, running back Jeremiyah Love and linebacker Jack Kiser, but also on backup QB Steve Angeli, wide receiver Jaden Greathouse and kicker Mitch Jeter. These Irish fight, and they’re very hard to knock out.

X factor: Greathouse entered Thursday with moderate numbers — 29 receptions, 359 yards, one touchdown — and had only three total catches for 14 yards in the first two CFP games. But he recorded career highs in both receptions (7) and receiving yards (105) and tied the score on a 54-yard touchdown with 4:38 to play. A Notre Dame offense looking for more from its wide receivers, especially downfield, could lean more on Greathouse, who exceeded his receptions total from the previous five games but might be finding his groove at the perfect time. He also came up huge in the clutch, recording all but six of his receiving yards in the second half.

How Notre Dame wins: The Irish won’t have the talent edge in Atlanta, partly because they’ve lost several stars to season-ending injuries, but they have the right traits to hang with any opponent. Notre Dame needs contributions in all three phases and must continue to sprinkle in downfield passes, an element offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has pushed. And they finally did start seeing results against Penn State. The Irish likely can’t afford to lose the turnover margin, although they can help themselves by replicating their third-down brilliance — 11 of 17 conversions on offense, 3 of 11 conversions allowed on defense — from the Penn State win. — Rittenberg

What we learned in the semifinal: The Buckeyes have a defense with championship mettle, headlined by senior defensive end Jack Sawyer, who delivered one of the biggest defensive plays in Ohio State history. On fourth-and-goal with just over two minutes remaining, Sawyer sacked Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, forcing a fumble that he scooped up and raced 83 yards for a game-clinching touchdown, propelling Ohio State to the national title game. The Buckeyes weren’t perfect in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and they struggled offensively for much of the night against a talented Texas defense. But Ohio State showed late why its defense is arguably the best in college football, too.

X factor: The play two snaps before the Sawyer scoop-and-score set the table. On second-and-goal from the Ohio State 1-yard line, unheralded senior safety Lathan Ransom dashed past incoming blockers and dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss. After an incomplete pass, the Longhorns were forced into desperation mode on fourth-and-goal down a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining. All-American safety Caleb Downs, who had an interception on Texas’ ensuing drive, rightfully gets all the headlines for the Ohio State secondary. But the Buckeyes have other veteran standouts such as Ransom throughout their defense.

How Ohio State wins: Texas took away Ohio State’s top offensive playmaker, true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who had only one reception for 3 yards on three targets. As the first two playoff games underscored, the Buckeyes offense is at its best when Smith gets the ball early and often. Notre Dame is sure to emulate the Texas blueprint, positioning the defensive backs to challenge Smith. Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has to counter with a plan that finds ways to get the ball into Smith’s hands, no matter what the Fighting Irish do. — Jake Trotter