Remember the Open Exemption Provisional rule? Yeah, the same one Trackhouse Racing and Justin Marks cleverly used to bring Helio Castroneves to the 2025 Daytona 500. At that time, it sparked a major controversy among fans and teams alike. NASCAR, on the other hand, seems indifferent to all of that. They have introduced a similar rule in the Craftsman Truck Series for the 2026 season.
Under the new ‘OEM provisional’ rule, a new manufacturer entering the Truck Series is guaranteed a spot on the field should their cars fail to qualify for the race.
Advertisement
How does it work? Let’s say four out of five cars fail to qualify for the race. That means, the 37-40 positions on the starting grid are guaranteed to the new manufacturers. Understandably, the only team that can even utilize this rule is Kaulig Racing. They are partnering with RAM trucks for the 2026 season.
Since Kaulig Racing is the only team partnering with a ‘new OEM,’ no matter how they qualify, they will have guaranteed spots on the grid outside the regular 36 drivers. NASCAR’s logic is that in this way, the teams with the new OEM will get a chance to earn points in the initial races of the season before the current season’s accumulated points kick in.
This decision may sound very supportive for RAM, but as fans are saying, it’s almost like a ‘participation trophy’ being handed to them, as they get race entry and points without earning their spot on pure qualifying speed.
Plus, it is very suspicious that NASCAR introduced it suddenly, knowing that only one team can use it.
Advertisement
That’s rather odd, and let’s be honest, RAM’s parent company, Dodge, is no stranger to stock car racing. They may have left years ago, but it’s still a part of their DNA.
And you and I aren’t the only ones unimpressed by this new rule addition. Some prominent figures in NASCAR have instantly taken a dislike to this rule.
Dale Jr. and others rally the fans in stern opposition against NASCAR
As soon as NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass posted about it on social media, Dale Jr. was among the first ones to respond. And without saying anything, his just posted a GIF that nodded in awkward disagreement.
The recent backlash that Dale Jr. received seems to have subsided for now. Before this incident, Dale Jr. looked like he was siding with NASCAR. However, now he has made it clear that ultimately, he is also a fan of the sport and no matter what opinions he may hold, some things are just terrible for the sport on the whole.
After his reaction, an array of comments flooded the comment section about the new rule. The one that stood out most among them was Frankie Muniz‘s two-word callout.
Advertisement
“So pathetic.”
The Truck series driver made it clear that he thinks that whatever team utilizes this rule isn’t cutout to be a NASCAR team. Without holding back his emotions, Muniz has revealed the sentiments in the paddock.
Hilariously, a fan used the analogy of a participation certificate that children receive, “I guess we’re in the participation trophy era of Nascar, you should have to earn your way into the race. Being given a spot is sad.”
Another fan chimed in as they started talking about how this rule can effectively get squashed. “So theoretically if every part time Truck and every truck below 33rd in owners points conveniently swapped to Dodge lmao.”
Advertisement
It is an impossible probability, but let’s say it did happen, what would NASCAR do, and how would it handle the absolute chaos?
Another fan pointed out the absurdity of the rule, comparing it to AI-generated content. With the recent trends surrounding AI in NASCAR, their opinion does sound quite convincing. “Wow NASCAR is letting ChatGPT make the rules now. Hey ChatGPT what’s next?”
NASCAR is treading into a dangerous territory with this new addition. They only recently managed to satisfy the fans, even though partially, with the new championship format. It has hardly been a week since that announcement. So, at such a crucial juncture, it was not wise of NASCAR to announce a rule that effectively hands out free entries to any team.
Advertisement
No matter how new a team is, motorsports is about standing on top and being deserving of it. You need to be competitive from Day 1. Instead of relying on freebies to at least participate in the race, it is better to wait and develop the machinery to make it capable enough.
The post Dale Jr & Fans Stand Opposed as NASCAR Hands Out “Participation Trophy” to RAM With Controversial New Rule appeared first on EssentiallySports.
