NASCAR’s New Exemption Rule Just Got More Confusing

What’s Happening?

Friday afternoon, NASCAR unveiled new rules for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Among these changes is a new form of Provisional called the Open Exemption Provisional. As confusing as this Provisional is, there is another piece to this puzzle.

• The Open Exemption Provisional allows for one “world-class driver” to enter a NASCAR race without fear of missing the field. Fans initially understood this to mean that Cup Series fields could be over the 40-car limit in 2025. However, new information suggests this may not be the case.
• According to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, the field will only have 41 cars if the OEP driver does not make the race on speed. This means that at tracks where a driver is using an OEP, the slowest car is eliminated if the OEP qualifies better than or equal to 40th in a field of more than 40 cars. However, if the OEP entry qualifies less than 40th of 40 plus entries, the field will be 41 cars.
• A good example to explain this rule is four-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Hélio Castroneves. Castroneves is entering his first Daytona 500 with Trackhouse Racing and will use the OEP. If Castroneves qualifies the slowest of all open entries or crashes out of the Duels, he will make the race. In this scenario, the field will expand from 40 to 41 drivers.

There are more rules about the OEP, such as a review drivers’ racing resumes and teams being awarded no points or money for OEP entries. We have covered the OEP in depth in the story below.

Fan opinion online is mixed about this rule. While this newly revealed aspect clarifies the field sizes, it could make this provisional slightly more confusing for casual fans tuning in on race day.

What Is NASCAR’s Open Exemption Provisional, and How Does It Affect the 2025 Season

What Is NASCAR’s Open Exemption Provisional, and How Does It Affect the 2025 Season

What’s Happening? NASCAR introduced a new rule called the Open Exemption Provisional. This provisional is part of the new 2025 NASCAR…

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