TMW: NASCAR Changes the Rules
The sanctioning body issued a few key Rule Book changes ahead of the 2025 season.
The Morning Warmup
Jan. 13, 2025
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Good morning and Happy Monday! I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend. I spent mine snowed in up in the North Carolina mountains.
Normally, I kick off these Monday editions with a focus on races from the previous weekend. But we have some significant NASCAR Rule Book changes to discuss, so we’re going to roll right into it. So, without further adieu…
Today’s Top Story
1) NASCAR rolls out Rule Book changes ahead of 2025 season
With the NASCAR season just weeks away from its unofficial beginning at Bowman Gray Stadium, the sanctioning body ended the first full week of 2025 with a notable swath of Rule Book changes that could impact how the season plays out.
Key among them is a change to the protocol for playoff waivers. Should a waiver be granted for missing a race, the driver will be forced to forfeit all current and future playoff points. That means they’d start the playoffs with a maximum of 2,000 points, leaving them at a deficit to the field. That means another situation like Kyle Larson’s missing of the Coca-Cola 600 or a suspension for poor on-track conduct could be significantly detrimental to a driver’s championship campaign.
There are two exceptions to the new rule. Drivers won’t have to forget playoff points if they miss a race due to age restrictions or for a medical emergency - including medical issues, birth of a child or a family emergency.
Also relevant for future playoff runs is a new provision for any manufacturer meddling in the integrity of playoff races. NASCAR has added the potential for a loss of manufacturer points, wind tunnel hours and/or RCFD runs should races be manipulated like occurred at the end of last fall’s Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Wording around the “100 percent rule” has been shifted to terminology around manipulation to modernize the Rule Book as well.
The change with the most immediate effect is a new potential provisional for an open car. With the change, any world-class drivers who enter a Cup race can apply to secure a guaranteed starting spot. Should it be used, the driver won’t be eligible for race points, playoff points, prize money or any tiebreakers tied to finishing position.
In a sense, the driver won’t have much effect on the race weekend. They’ll be offered an added, 41st entry to the field. They can win stages and races, but will get no playoff or points benefits. The second-place finisher would inherit first-place points, albeit without a playoff berth or any playoff points.
This provisional could be seen for the season-opening Daytona 500. IndyCar and IMSA great Helio Castroneves is eligible for the provisional in his one-off run with Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 entry.
During Cup races, the Damaged Vehicle Policy has been altered. The seven-minute clock (or eight for Atlanta) remains in effect for repairs on pit road, but upon its expiration (or beforehand if necessary) vehicles can now go to the garage for continued work. They’ll no longer be forced out of the race.
There are also a few smaller changes. All suspensions that result from technical infractions can be deferred without appeal for the next races following the penalty’s issuance. Those penalties, which have traditionally been applied against the offending team’s crew chiefs, will now be cited to the teams themselves in penalty reports. Teams will have just two business days to file appeals instead of three.
A couple stories on the news:
NASCAR’s rule changes will have a wave of knock-on effects in the upcoming season. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck argues that guaranteeing starting spots for celebrity drivers is a step too far.
Race Recaps
Sports Cars
24H Series: The 2025 BMW M4 GT3 EVO’s global debut couldn’t have gone much better. The car emerged victorious in the Dubai 24 Hours with Almanac Racing by Team WRT’s No. 777 entry. (Daily Sportscar)
Dirt
Wild West Shootout: Bobby Pierce capped off the annual year-opener at Vado Speedway Park with a dominant win in the 50-lap finale. (Dirt on Dirt)
Moto
SuperMotocross: Chase Sexton kicked off the Supercross portion of the year with a victory in Anaheim, beating out Ken Roczen and Jason Anderson. Jo Shimoda prevailed in the 250 West race. (Dan Beaver / NBC Sports)
Rally
Dakar Rally: Henk Lategan saw his lead melt to 21 seconds after a chaotic seventh stage in the Saudi desert. (NBC Sports)
Electric Racing
Formula E: A well-timed jump landed Oliver Rowland with a big victory in Mexico City. (FIAFormulaE.com)
News and Notes
NASCAR
NASCAR’s antitrust lawsuit saw another decision Friday, with the sanctioning body’s motion to dismiss the case denied by U.S. District Court judge Kenneth Bell. (Bob Pockrass / FOX Sports)
An eventful week of ARCA Menards Series testing at Daytona International Speedway included big names and a pricy crash. (Matt Weaver / Sportsnaut)
IndyCar
PREMA Racing officially launched its NTT IndyCar Series program Friday, with a presentation of its car and personnel at GM’s Charlotte Technical Center in North Carolina. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
Why has Romain Grosjean taken a reserve driver role for the upcoming IndyCar season? (Jack Benyon / The Race)
F1
Aston Martin has made a change after a disappointing 2024, naming Andy Cowell as team principal along with his position as chief executive officer while Mike Krack has essentially been demoted. (Andrew Benson / BBC F1)
Sergio Perez is in no rush to return to F1. He plans to take a six-month sabbatical before even considering a march back to the series. (Alex Kalinauckas / Motorsport)
Many lists focus on the best drivers of a given year. This piece from The Race focuses on the worst, from each modern F1 season.
Supercars
In what could be a big future move for Supercars, the Western Australian Government has detailed plans for a $217.5 million entertainment precinct in Perth that will host the series. (Stefan Bartholomaeus / Speedcafe)
Supercars officials would like to see the event open the season when it arrives in 2027. (Stefan Bartholomaeus / Speedcafe)
Sports Cars
In a common sense move, IMSA has overhauled its regulations involving minimum drive time for event impacted by red flags. (John Dagys / Sportscar365)
Xfinity Series prospect Sammy Smith is entering the Michelin Pilot Challenge opener at Daytona with Van der Steur Racing. (R.J. O’Connell / RACER)
Julien Andlauer will complete Proton Competition’s Porsche 963 lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. (John Dagys / Sportscar365)
Toyota Gazoo Racing and works team ROOKIE Racing have announce plans to contest the Nurburgring 24 and the Super Taikyu Series as a unified team. (Daily Sportscar)
Gradient Racing has confirmed its Michelin Endurance Cup lineups for 2025 ahead of the Rolex 24. (Daily Sportscar)
Dirt
A host of NASCAR drivers will be among the field at this week’s Chili Bowl Nationals. (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
The 10-race FloRacing Night in America schedule for 2025 has been revealed.
Short Tracks
ASA STARS has a huge new commitment. Short track star Bubba Pollard has signed the Platinum Agreement and committed to the full series schedule. (Matt Weaver / Short Track Scene)
With the 2024 year complete, Frontstretch’s Chase Folsom handed out awards fro the CARS Tour season.
Moto
Ducati is coming to SuperMotocross. The brand will enter the series in 2026 with Troy Lee Designs. (Dan Beaver / NBC Sports)
The series itself has announced a trio of playoff rounds for the end of the 2025 campaign. (Dan Beaver / NBC Sports)
Levi Kitchen made a last-second switch, shifting from the 250 West to 250 East division after entering the West opener in Anaheim while battling sickness. (Dan Beaver / NBC Sports)
Mistakes can stick with a racer in every aspect of life - even their honeymoon, as a turns out for MotoGP runner-up Pecco Bagnaia. (Rachit Thukral & Matteo Nugnes / Motorsport)
Drag Racing
ScottRod Racing has announced plans to go Top Fuel drag racing at five NHRA national events thus year. (Drag Illustrated)
Rally
Frustrations are high at the Dakar Rally. Nasser Al-Attiyah has sent a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to air his grievances. (Mario Galan / Motorsport)
Electric Racing
Alex Dunne will serve as a reserve and development for NEOM McLaren in Formula E this year. (Dominik Wilde / RACER)
It’s early in the Formula E season, but next season’s calendar is already beginning to take shape. (Stefan Mackley & Luis Ramirez / Motorsport)
On Track This Week
All Times ET
Monday, Jan 13.
Dirt
Chili Bowl Nationals (SageNet Center): 4:30 p.m., FloRacing
Rally
Dakar Rally: 8:00 p.m., Highlights on Peacock
Sim Racing
World of Outlaws Pro Series (Fairbury Speedway): 8:00 p.m., DirtVision/iRacing on YouTube/Twitch
-
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Dirt
Chili Bowl Nationals (SageNet Center): 4:30 p.m., FloRacing
Rally
Dakar Rally: 8:00 p.m., Highlights on Peacock
Number of the Day: 40
That’s how many playoff points Kyle Larson entered the 2024 playoffs with after a strong regular season. Based on NASCAR’s latest Rule Book updates, he wouldn’t enter with any playoff points if the same situation plays out this year.
Resources
Series Websites
Schedules
Media Outlets
Associated Press (NASCAR, F1)
The Athletic (F1, NASCAR)
Catchfence (NASCAR)
DIRTRACKR (Dirt Racing)
Dirt on Dirt (Dirt Late Models)
Dirt Track Digest (Dirt Racing)
DirtVision (Dirt Racing)
Drag Illustrated (Drag Racing)
Dragzine (Drag Racing)
FloRacing (Dirt, Short Tracks)
FOX Sports (Primarily NASCAR, IndyCar likely in 2025)
Frontstretch (NASCAR, Open Wheel, Sports Cars, Short Tracks)
Kickin’ the Tires (NASCAR)
Motorsport (General, wide-ranging racing coverage).
NBC Sports Motorsports (Dirt, MotoGP, SuperMotocross)
Ohio Dirt (Dirt Racing)
Outside Groove (Dirt Racing)
RACER (Open Wheel, Sports Cars, NASCAR, Drag Racing,Off-Road/Rally)
The Race (Open Wheel, MotoGP)
Short Track Scene (Short Tracks)
Speedcafe (Australian Motorsports)
Sportsnaut (NASCAR)
Sprint Car Unlimited (Dirt Sprint Cars)
TobyChristie.com (NASCAR)
Traxion (Sim Racing)
V8 Sleuth (Supercars)