NASCAR unveiled a suite a of rule changes Friday (Jan. 10) for the NASCAR Cup Series that will take effect immediately. The issues addressed cover a variety of topics.
Open Exemption Provisional
First off, NASCAR has created what they call a “Open Exemption Provisional.” This would only come into play if the entry list for a Cup Series race exceeds 40 cars and a “special or invited entrant” is not locked into the race.
In practice, this is a promoter’s option position that would allow for a 41st car to be on the grid for a Cup Series race. However, there are some caveats.
Any drivers that would be in a race under this exemption would have to be approved by NASCAR on a case-by-case basis. They would be eligible to win the race, trophy and earn a spot in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. However, they would be ineligible to earn points, prize money or playoff eligibility.
The official release referenced the likelihood that next month’s Daytona 500 will have an entry list above 40 cars. Helio Castroneves‘ entry in the race as part of Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 appeared to be tailor-made for this new exemption.
Sure enough, Trackhouse Racing has indicated that Castroneves’ entry will come with the Open Exemption Provisional potentially being in play. It is not something that a team can apply for after qualifying is complete. It is something that must be applied for 90 days or more before a specific race.
In this scenario, if Castroneves is able to get into the Daytona 500 via the means already available to non-chartered teams (qualifying speed or racing in through his Bluegreen Vacations Duel), you would still have a 40-car field and normal rules apply. If he fails to qualify by those means, he’ll have the OEP in his back pocket and would race as a 41st starter with the aforementioned restrictions.
Damaged Vehicle Policy Changes
NASCAR is making changes to the Damaged Vehicle Policy that will be exclusive to the Cup Series in 2025. Effectively, you will no longer be forced out of the race due to flat tires or other minor issues that prevent drivers from driving back to the pits on their own.
The seven-minute rule (eight minutes at Atlanta) will remain in effect. However, what happens when the clock expires will change. At that point, a car will have to be pushed behind the wall for additional repairs.
Cars can either drive behind the wall on their own, or be towed behind the wall for repairs and still be eligible to return to the race. Previously, going behind the wall for any reason while on the DVP clock was an automatic retirement from the race.
If a car is driven or towed back to the garage, there will be no time limit on repairs. There will still be certain aspects of the car that cannot be changed behind the wall (Ex: engine changes mid-race are still forbidden), but crash repairs can be made.
If a driver on the DVP clock leaves his stall with time still on the clock, but the clock expires before he gets off pit road, he would still be able to continue after serving a penalty. Previously, that would be a retirement.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, these new rules will not apply as of now. They will continue to operate using the previous rules.
Playoff Waivers
NASCAR has changed some regulations in regards to playoff waivers. Waivers sought due to driver injuries, illness, age restrictions or family events (birth of child, hospitalizations of family members) are still free.
However, if a driver seeks a playoff waiver due to being assessed a suspension, or outright skipping a race, there will penalties if they are granted. Such a situation would result in that driver being stripped of any playoff points that they had earned to that point of the season and ineligible to earn any playoff points for the remainder of the regular season. If that driver were to make the playoffs, they would start with the base 2000 points.
Additional Clarifications
NASCAR clarified penalties that can be handed down to manufacturers for violations of the testing policy, . Penalties can include monetary fines, manufacturer points, the loss of wind tunnel time or the loss of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) test runs.
Finally, the “100%” rule has been re-worded. Specifically, it changes “artificially alter the finishing positions” to “manipulate the outcome” in regards to races. On paper, that doesn’t sound like a big change, but in practice, the language is harsher.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.