DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Helio Castroneves, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, is aware that Sunday’s Daytona 500 will be his first NASCAR Cup start. Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time Cup winner, cannot be certain that he will make his 699th series start in the Great American Race. The main cause of this discrepancy is a new NASCAR regulation that grants a top driver a provisional starting position, deducted from the points and money they could have earned in that race. Each race is only eligible for one of these provisionals, and requests must be made 90 days prior to the event. If Castroneves doesn’t get a starting position through Wednesday night’s qualifying or Thursday’s duel races, Trackhouse Racing, who sought the provisional, may utilize it with him. Legacy Motor Club didn’t request the provisional for Johnson, in the appropriate time. The two-time Daytona 500 champion has no guarantee of making the race.
At Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday afternoon, Johnson stated, “We really didn’t know about it until the rule came out (in January).” It was obviously buried in the pushed-out charter agreement. “Three minutes after the rule was announced, we spoke with NASCAR over the phone and realized that we weren’t eligible because it wasn’t within the 90-day window (prior to the 500).” “We’ve spoken with every member of NASCAR extensively. My comprehension of the rule’s purpose has improved. To properly define and explain that, I would expect some adjustments to come after this. After Daytona decides whether any clarifications are required, NASCAR intends to continue the conversation about the regulation. During a press conference last month, NASCAR said that Johnson and former Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. qualify as elite drivers based on their accomplishments.
Johnson said he he and team read the rule “our reaction wasn’t great.”
Johnson responded, “At first, yes,” when asked if he was angry. I now know what NASCAR Chairman Jim France was attempting to accomplish when I spoke with him during the Rolex 24 while I was down here. “I really believe in having a chance to bring in a Formula One driver, an IndyCar driver, whoever it might be, and that does take time to find a time to run, find a partnership to do it, to really exploit that opportunity… even though the words didn’t come out correctly in the charter agreement or the interactions that followed.”It’s excellent for our sport, in my opinion. This time, only the delivery was a little challenging. It places Johnson in a bind.
Pro basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal was brought in by sponsor Carvana, and O’Neal’s basketball career served as inspiration for the car’s design. According to Johnson, it’s part of a promotion for the NBA All-Star Game the next weekend and the Daytona 500. Regarding the network and broadcaster of the NBA All-Star Game that will broadcast the Daytona 500, Johnson stated, “TNT and Fox are collaborating and working together with planned interaction back-and-forth.” Of course, having Shaq here would be wonderful. This will have a wider audience because of the additional visibility and the two networks, as well as the many fan communities that will be watching. It should be excellent. Therefore, it would be unfortunate if we were not in the race. The new regulation was questioned by Denny Hamlin earlier this month ahead of the clash at Bowman Gray.
He remarked, “I just think—it reeks of desperation.” “There is no other way for me to put it. I’m not sure how kind you can truly be. It really seems like you’re attempting to make any headline relevant, and I don’t appreciate that. It seems to me that there is a short-term benefit and a long-term cost. You are the best stock car series in the United States, in my opinion. Be the big boys and make folks come in here to acquire their credentials and do it the old-fashioned way. This is the best racing sport in the United States. Simply put, I don’t think it will play a significant role outside of Daytona, but stating that someone has a name that interests you and that they are going to have an automatic bid in the highest form of motorsports in the US – I don’t love it.”
Chase Elliott acknowledges that he considers both sides of an issue
Elliott stated earlier this month at the Clash, “You’d hate to have a Helio Castroneves, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, or someone come in to run a race and then miss the show due to something silly.” From a promotor perspective, I can definitely see that part of it, where you wouldn’t want to take that chance because it will undoubtedly be a big deal for you. However, I also believe that there ought to be some integrity in the production of the presentation when it comes to big races. That, in my opinion, contributes to the race’s prestige. It is a difficult event to organize, you know. I believe that you can see that with the Indianapolis 500, or you see that at the Chili Bowl, right? It’s a hard race to make. It’s a big deal just to get into the show, so I can see both sides of the fence there. I think it’s totally fine.
“I simply don’t want to ever diminish or harm the sport’s long-term integrity and detract from the prestige of events that ought to be some of our most important days of the year.” Castroneves stated on Wednesday that he is aware of the outrage surrounding the regulation and its consequences in the event that Truex or Johnson are unable to attend the Daytona 500. “I was unaware of the rule, but I will accept it if it is required of me.”
