Getty NASCAR has announced Rule Book changes.
The sanctioning body has announced some significant changes for the Cup Series and its guest drivers. NASCAR will now allow a test session for those with elite credentials from other motorsports series.
NASCAR announced the changes as a Rule Book update. The new sections are 13.2.7, 13.2.7.1, and 13.2.7.2. This does not mean that guest drivers can just head to any track and test out the Next Gen cars. Instead, they must follow specific rules laid out in these sections. Chief among them is that the driver must be entered into a NASCAR Cup Series event by a current organization currently competing in the series. They must also receive a voucher from NASCAR allowing them to take part in the test.
NASCAR will allow a test of a driver with elite credentials from another form of racing to get familiar with the car. They must be entered for a Cup race to do the test. The rules:
One interesting twist is that the team hosting the guest driver can not hold the test session. Another team must be in charge. Though the team hosting the guest driver in a Cup Series race can send up to four representatives.
For example, if Kaulig Racing wanted to bring a Formula 1 driver into the fold for a road course race, they would not host the test session. Instead, an organization such as Richard Childress Racing would field the car for the test. Though it would have to receive approval from NASCAR.
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These Rule Changes Follow an Announcement by Trackhouse Racing
GettyRoss Chastain tests the Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
When NASCAR announced the new changes to the Rule Book, there were some immediate jokes about how this was the “Kimi Rule.” The reason is that the new sections follow an announcement by Trackhouse Racing.
The two-car Cup Series team revealed on May 24 that it would field a part-time entry in select races. This entry, Project91, will provide opportunities for international drivers to take on the NASCAR Cup Series.
The first driver that will join Project91 is former Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen. He will join Trackhouse Racing on August 21 for the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International. Raikkonen will make his Cup Series debut while driving the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro at the road course.
“PROJECT91’s mission is to activate the intersection point of NASCAR racing and global motorsport culture,” said Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks in a press release on May 24. “I truly believe the NexGen car represents an opportunity for NASCAR to enter the global professional motorsport conversation.
“We now have a race vehicle with international technological relevance where world-class drivers from other disciplines can compete at NASCAR’s highest level without the steep learning curve that the previous generation cars required.”
This Rule Change Could Lead to More Guests
GettyFans have called for Lewis Hamilton (right) to compete in a Cup Series race.
There is already one confirmed guest in Raikkonen, but the Iceman will only be the first of many. Trackhouse Racing has already confirmed that there will be multiple guests from the ranks of international motorsports in the coming years, but more teams could follow suit.
There are ongoing discussions among racing fans about how standout drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Tanner Foust, or Alex Palou would fare in the Cup Series. Now there is less of a hurdle for these drivers and others to overcome.
The biggest issue that drivers from other series encounter is the difference between their respective vehicles and those in the Cup Series. There is a learning process involved, and the 20-minute practice sessions do little to help outside drivers gain comfort. Adding in the ability to take part in a test session could bring more motorsports stars to the series considering that they could gain comfort in the Next Gen cars before facing off with the best drivers in NASCAR.
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