Explained: NASCAR announces major rule changes

There are more changes coming to NASCAR as on Friday the series released a rules bulletin for 2025 that addresses several aspects of the sport that have been pain points for participants and fans, and also has a few surprises. Here’s what’s been added, and what it means for everyone in the garage this upcoming season.

A guaranteed place through open exemption provisional

NASCAR has introduced the Open Exemption Provisional, or OEP, which will guarantee starting position for “world-class drivers entering NASCAR Cup Series races”. Any driver using this provision will not be eligible for points or prize money. Note, if a driver wins a race via OEP, the second-place finisher will actually receive first-place points, but not playoff bonus points. This continues down through the results and earns points for second place, third place and so on.

NASCAR confirmed that this change means four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves is now locked in the Daytona 500. He will make his Cup debut with the Trackhouse Racing team in a Project 91 entry. He could still enter the race on qualifying, but using the provisional would increase the 500 field to 41 cars.

Eligibility will be handled on a case-by-case basis, but each driver’s resume will be a major factor in NASCAR’s final decision. Recent examples of drivers who would potentially be eligible for OEP are Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button and Kamui Kobayashi. Full-time NASCAR drivers cannot use OEP, and a provisional must be requested 90 days before an event.

Improvement in damaged vehicle policy

NASCAR’s DVP, which has been a point of controversy on several occasions, will be completely redesigned for the 2025 season. Previously, any damaged car that needed to be towed was immediately taken out of the race. This became an issue as perfectly runnable cars with flat tires were unable to move after a simple spin, and had to be pulled back, taking them out of the race. Now, damaged cars can be taken to the garage and even brought back to race later. According to the wording of the rules bulletin, cars with flat tires will also be taken to the garage to be fixed.

The DVP watch comes in handy for teams trying to make repairs on pit road. But unlike recent years, when the clock runs out, the car is not out of the competition. The team must take it back to the garage where they can continue further repairs.

playoff discount adjustment

NASCAR’s playoff waivers have been issued over the years for a variety of reasons. In almost every case, the driver remained eligible for the playoffs, no matter the reason behind the waiver request. A notable recent case was that of Kyle Larson, who missed the Coke 600 while making his Indy 500 debut in 2024. Now, NASCAR will penalize those who seek playoff exemptions beyond medical reasons. Exceptions also include the birth of a child, family emergency or age restrictions.

If a driver misses a race in 2024, like Larson, they can still receive an exemption, but will forfeit all of their playoff points. This means that they will not be able to retain any playoff points accumulated up to that point in the season, nor will they be able to score any future playoff points. They will begin the ten-race postseason with zero bonus points.

Action and suspension on race rigging

Last year, a major controversy erupted in the final race of the year as the manufacturer appeared to manipulate the outcome of the race in an attempt to get their car into Championship 4. This resulted in massive fines for all the drivers and teams involved, but not the manufacturers themselves.

If this type of race manipulation issue arises again, NASCAR will now take aim at the manufacturers. They risk losing manufacturer points, wind tunnel hours, and even RCFD runs. NASCAR also adjusted the vague 100% rule, which stated that competitors must compete at 100% of their capacity with the goal of achieving the best possible finishing position. Now, the wording of the rule focuses directly on manipulating the outcome of a championship event.

Additionally, NASCAR will allow suspensions resulting from technical violations to be postponed without appeal. Previously, an appeal had to be made before an adjournment could take place. However, all other suspensions will be effective immediately.