In early January, Hélio Castroneves, four-time Indy 500 champion, announced that he would attempt to qualify for the 2025 Daytona 500 on February 16th in partnership with Trackhouse Racing. NASCAR recently announced a new Open Exemption Provisional entry essentially guaranteeing that Castroneves’ No. 91 NASCAR Chevy will make “The Great American Race.”
According to a report from NASCAR.com, the Open Exemption Provisional exists “for world-class drivers who enter a NASCAR Cup Series race.” The provisional is similar to a “promotor’s choice provisional,” which is often used in local short track races and dirt racing and guarantees that a high-profile driver can race in feature events.
Castroneves and Trackhouse are expected to leverage the Open Exemption Provisional to give the Indy veteran a shot at the Daytona 500. If they do so, the field will be expanded from 40 to 41 cars to make room for Castroneves’ No. 91 NASCAR Chevy. However, Castroneves and Trackhouse will not be eligible for points, prize money, or any tiebreaker benefits from his finishing position.
Should Hélio Castroneves win, the No. 91 NASCAR Chevy entry will gain eligibility for the All-Star exhibition race, but the victory will not qualify for Playoff eligibility. The driver who finishes second will be granted the first-place points, but will not get Playoff points or eligibility.
In order to qualify for the Open Exemption Provisional, teams must send notice to NASCAR 90 days before an event. However, Hélio Castroneves would be an exception; teams were not informed of the new provisional within that 90-day window, so the sanctioning body is allowing Trackhouse to take advantage of the new rule.
As a reminder, Trackhouse Racing occasionally fields the No. 91 NASCAR Chevy race car in the Cup Series for international motorsports talent. The program has been in operation since 2022, attracting the likes of Formula One’s Kimi Räikkönen and Supercars’ Shane van Gisbergen.
When the No. 91 NASCAR Chevy hits the track this year, while it still resembles a Camaro body, The Bow Tie has removed all Camaro branding from its Cup Series entries.
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Wonder how much Trackhouse paid NA$CAR for that??
But Mike Wallace can’t race!!! F U NASCAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!