NASCAR Reveals MAJOR Rule Changes for 2025; DVP and Playoff Waivers Changed

What’s Happening?

NASCAR is making major changes to its rule book ahead of the 2025 NASCAR season. These changes include Damaged Vehicle Policy rules, Playoff Waiver rules, and “Performance Obligation” rules. Here’s what you need to know.

Damaged Vehicle Policy (NASCAR Cup Series only)

NASCAR is changing its Damaged Vehicle Policy, or DVP rules entering the 2025 season.

The DVP, introduced in 2017, is a repair clock that limits teams to a short amount of time to repair their car and get it back on track. NASCAR is changing this policy for 2025. This change allows cars, only at the Cup Series level, to head to the garage for repairs.

Per NASCAR:

• Vehicles placed on DVP may drive to the garage or be towed to the garage and will NOT be out of the race.
• The 7-minute clock (8 at Atlanta) remains active for vehicles making repairs on pit road.
  • When the clock expires, the vehicle must go to the garage to continue work.
  • There is no clock for repairs made in the garage.
  • If a car leaves its pit box and the clock expires prior to the car hitting the pit-out yellow line, a penalty will be issued.
• Vehicles unable to drive to pit road, whether because of damage or flat tires, will be towed to the garage.

Playoff Waivers

NASCAR is also changing its Playoff Waiver system. These waivers allowed a driver to continue their pursuit of the playoffs after missing a playoff race. Recent notables were Kyle Larson for missing the Coca-Cola 600 after racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Chase Elliott’s injury and suspension in 2023.

Fans have had issues with how NASCAR justifies awarding these waivers, and NASCAR has responded. The new system is not as liberal as in the past, as any driver, minus a few exceptions, granted a Playoff Waiver loses all Playoff Points.

Per NASCAR:

• If a Playoff Waiver is granted for missing a race, the driver will forfeit all current and future Playoff Points (earned prior to the Playoffs), and will start the Playoffs with a maximum of 2,000 points.
  • Exceptions to the forfeit of Playoff points includes medical reason (driver medical, birth of a child, family emergency, etc.) and age restrictions.

OEM Penalties & Performance Obligation

Following the dramatic finish to the Martinsville Playoff race, in which NASCAR Officials were “pissed off” about OEM interference, NASCAR has created penalties for OEMs caught committing rule violations.

NASCAR has also changed the verbiage around the 100% rule following the outcome at Martinsville, which saw drivers slow down to help manufacturers’ drivers maintain or gain positions.

Per NASCAR:

OEM Penalties

• Rules violations by an OEM may result in a loss of Manufacturers Points, and/or loss of wind tunnel hours, and/or loss of RCFD runs.
• Penalties will be assessed for violation of the Vehicle Testing Policy, wind tunnel policy, event roster and Code of Conduct policy.

Performance Obligation

• Verbiage around the 100% rule is replaced with a focus on “manipulating” the outcome of an event/championship.

Open Exemption Provisional

A notable addition is an Open Exemption Provisional. This provisional allows entry for a “world-class driver” into a NASCAR Cup Series race. Think of this as a Charter for notable drivers, giving NASCAR a one-off shot.

Owners will not earn points, playoff points, prize money, or any tiebreaker benefits from these OEP entries, and teams must request an OEP 90 days prior to the event. Multiple insiders have confirmed that IndyCar legend Hélio Castroneves is locked into the Daytona 500 with Trackhouse Racing via the OEP.

Per NASCAR:

• Similar to a ‘promoter’s provisional’ used in short track and dirt racing, the Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) guarantees a starting position for world-class drivers who enter a NASCAR Cup Series race.
• If the OEP is used, the driver/car owner will NOT be eligible for race points, playoff points, prize money, or any tiebreaker benefit of finishing position.
  • Non-OEP cars’ prize money, race and stage points (but not playoff points) will be adjusted upward by one position, starting from the finishing position of the OEP car and continuing for the remainder of the field.
  • If the provisional car wins a race and/or stage, that car will be credited with the race win (including trophy and All-Star eligibility), but the finish will NOT count towards playoff eligibility. The second-place finisher will inherit first-place points, but will NOT receive playoff points or playoff eligibility
• Criteria for approval will be on a case-by-case basis, with prior racing resume a significant contributor. Full-time NASCAR drivers are not eligible.
  • A race team must request the provisional 90 days prior to an event.

Other Notables Items

NASCAR also introduced smaller changes, such as the previously announced unified Practice & Qualifying format and a new suspension deferral policy.

Per NASCAR:

Practice & Qualifying

• New practice and qualifying procedures, which were announced in December, were formally added to the rule book.

Suspension Deferral

• All suspensions that are a result of a technical penalty can be deferred without appeal for the next race following the issuance of a penalty.
  • All other suspensions are effective immediately.

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This is a developing story and will be updated.

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