The 2020 driver participation rules for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series and the Xfinity Series have been announced, NASCAR revealed Wednesday (Aug. 20).
Most notably, the field for the NXS will shrink from 38 cars down to 36. The prize money currently going to 37th and 38th will be distributed throughout the field.
“All of it goes back into the teams, and you’re really taking care of the teams that are reinvesting in the sport and racing full time,” Meghan Miley, NASCAR senior director of racing operations, told NASCAR.com.
The first 31 qualifying spots will be based on speed, with four provisional spots set by the rulebook and one spot for former series champions.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers with at least three years’ experience in the premier series can only race five Xfinity events in 2020, down from seven this year. They have a NGOTS limit of five events that stays the same.
“We hear from the fans that we need to get Cup drivers out of Xfinity and Trucks, and they want to just see the regulars, but we hear from the younger drivers that, ‘Hey, we want to race against these guys because they make us better,’” Miley said.
Cup regulars cannot compete in Dash 4 Cash, Trucks Triple challenge or lower-series playoff events.
Homestead-Miami Speedway will be the initial Dash 4 Cash qualifying race in 2020, with Bristol Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Dover International Speedway returning to the program alongside newcomer Texas Motor Speedway.
The Triple Trucks Challenge will move venues as all three races are now companion events at Richmond Raceway, Dover and Charlotte Motor Speedway, rather than standalone races.
The entry deadline rule that kept Greg Biffle from receiving prize money has been eliminated from The Trip, while the Dash 4 Cash rules remain the same.