'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Competition officials made several changes to NASCAR’s rule book on Friday. Veteran journalist and NASCAR reporter Matt Weaver pinpointed one of those overhauls while sending a clear message about underage drivers receiving playoff waivers.
As per rules, drivers below the age of 18 are not allowed to run tracks longer than a mile. Given that several tracks on NASCAR’s 2025 schedule exceed the one-mile-baseline, a fan on X (formerly Twitter) named David Sizemore wondered what would happen if an underage driver, who is not eligible to run certain tracks, wins a regular season race.
“Does that mean a young driver that doesn’t have the age to run some tracks the first part of the season and ends up winning a race can run for the championship with a waiver? I know that is a long shot but with some of the talent I see up and coming I can see it happening,” Sizemore asked.
Trending
To this, Weaver replied,
“This example has always been permitted in the waiver era.”
Drivers who fail to make a point-paying race for medical reasons will also be eligible for a playoff waiver; no questions asked. However, if NASCAR does grant a playoff waiver, the driver might lose all playoff points that they have bagged until that point in the season.
In that case, the said driver will enter the postseason with points set at a maximum of 2000. According to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, this decision is final and cannot be appealed by the teams under any circumstance.
New Open Exemption Provisional to aid multiple-time Indy 500 champ’s NASCAR debut
Under its new Open Exemption Provisional, NASCAR will now allow a 41st car to compete in certain situations where 40 cars sign up for a race. This year, the OEP will create a special entry for four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Helio Castroneves.
Castroneves, a 49-year-old driver from São Paulo, Brazil, will race the No. 91 Chevy Camaro under the banner of Trackhouse Racing in this year’s Daytona 500; the 67th running of the crown jewel event scheduled for February 16. Fans can watch the race live on FOX or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 2:30 pm ET onwards.
However, the Open Exemption Provisional will not be handed out to former NASCAR drivers like Martin Truex Jr., a former Joe Gibbs Racing driver who retired last year. The 2017 Cup Series champion will enter the 2025 Daytona 500 alongside Castroneves, marking his one-off appearance for Tricon Garage.
The 2025 season kicks off unofficially with the season-opening race at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2. This is going to be the first time since 1971 that the NASCAR Cup Series will visit the historic track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
