Crash your car, start at the rear.
Starting in 2018, teams will be forced to start at the rear of the field if they opt to roll out a backup car at any point throughout the race weekend, NASCAR announced in a release Thursday, Sept. 7.
Previously, teams could start wherever they qualified even if they crashed their primary car in a practice session after qualifying. With the advent of this new rule, that will not occur anymore.
A handful of engine regulations were also announced on Thursday, including an announcement stipulating that for 13 races during the year (teams can choose any of the 36 races), teams must use an engine that was already used in a previous race weekend and had not been updated or refurbished in any way, with seals placed on each engine so that they cannot be tampered with.
Additionally, if a team uses a backup car at the track, that car cannot already have an engine installed, a rule that was already in place at select tracks.
The full 2018 NASCAR rule book has not yet been revealed but is expected in October.