“It’s a lot of money to finish last”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. raises eyebrows at Trackhouse Racing’s decision for Helio Castroneves’ Daytona 500 bid 

Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently spoke about Trackhouse Racing’s decision to use a new rule to give Helio Castroneves a guaranteed spot in the 2025 Daytona 500. The Open Exemption Provision (OEP), lets drivers who are not in NASCAR, get into a race without qualifying.

The Brazilian IndyCar racer, Castroneves will debut in the Cup Series in Trackhouse Racing's No. 99 car at the Daytona International Speedway. The team requested the exemption 90 days before the event. During the latest episode of Dirty Air, Earnhardt Jr. shared his surprise at Trackhouse’s decision and said:

"To request this Open Exemption Provision...they had to do it 90 days before the event. They had this written in the charter agreement, no one really picked up on it. Trackhouse goes, 'Hey man, we wanna do this.'"

"I am a bit surprised though because I think Trackhouse is competitive enough to qualify in and its, you know, its a lot of money to finish last, if you're just looking, at hey man what does it cost to start the race...So, to forgo that possibility is pretty significant for a team."

The rule allows only one team to use the exemption for each race and if more than one team asks for it, NASCAR will decide who gets it. However, any team using the exemption will not earn race points or money.

JR Motorsports co-owner, Dale Jr. will also enter the No. 40 Chevrolet at the Daytona 500 this year with Justin Allgaier. However, the team's non-chartered entry will have to qualify first against more than seven other 'open' teams. This will be the first time JR Motorsports will race in the Cup Series since its debut in 2005.

"I understand it" - Trackhouse Racing owner on OPE that gives Helio Castroneves direct entry to Daytona 500

Justin Marks, co-owner of Trackhouse Racing, also commented on the OPE rule in an interview with Fox Sport's Bob Pockrass. When asked about the criticism of Helio Castroneves's direct entry to the Daytona 500, Marks said:

"If we have Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen or somebody like that come and race the Daytona 500 and he like misses a shift on a restart on Thursday and misses the race, it really would take a lot of wind out of the sails."

"So, I think if you look at the business as an event business as a promotional business, they have the opportunity to make rules like that, make decisions like that. So, I understand it...That showed up in the charter agreement, everybody read it, I think we were the only ones who put our hands up, everybody could but we did."

Castroneves is one of only four drivers who has won the Indianapolis 500 four times.