NASCAR Updates Sprint Cup Series Race Eligibility

NASCAR Updates Sprint Cup Series Race Eligibility   

Chase Provisional Implemented for Open Teams

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 28, 2016) – NASCAR today announced updated procedures for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race eligibility and new provisional starting guidelines for races during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Starting with Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway (7:45 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), current year owner points will replace practice speeds for determining race eligibility and starting position in the event adverse conditions prevent Coors Light Pole qualifying from taking place. Starting in 2017, for the second and third events of the season, practice speeds for Open teams will remain the criteria used to determine race eligibility.

NASCAR also announced that Open teams that earn a berth in the Chase will be awarded a provisional starting position for every Chase race, guaranteeing those teams an opportunity to compete for the championship in NASCAR’s playoffs.

“These changes provide a more even competition field for both Charter and Open teams, rewarding strong performances over the course of a season,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president, racing operations. “Earning a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is extremely difficult and requires consistent elite performance. Those teams should be guaranteed an opportunity to race for the title, and this ensures that will be the case.”

The creation of provisional starting positions for Open teams that earn a berth in the Chase has been discussed extensively with industry stakeholders.

The adverse conditions qualifying procedures remain unchanged for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.   

New Rules Package Additions

New Rules Package Additions To Debut At Michigan/6/10/16

NASCAR will debut rules updates for this Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway and use them again in the July 9 contest at Kentucky Speedway. The rules package developments are part of an industry-wide collaboration to further enhance the racing.

Recently, welded truck trailing arms and new brake cooling rules were put into place. The following updates to the rules package will be added at Michigan and Kentucky to further reduce downforce and sideforce:

·         Reduce skew generated sideforce by setting rear toe to zero (same rule used in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race)

·         Aero package tweaks to reduce aero-generated downforce and sideforce

o    Spoiler shortened from 3.5 inches to 2.5 inches

o    Splitter reduced to 2 inches

o    Resize of deck fin to match spoiler

The current rules package has generated some of the closest racing in years through the first 14 races of 2016. Highlights include three races setting track records for green flag passes for the lead, as well as two races featuring the seventh-closest margin of victory in NSCS history (since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993).