NASCAR managed to keep fans happy by announcing the new championship format; however, the authorities left Dale Earnhardt Jr. confused just days later, announcing a new rule in light of Ram Trucks joining the Truck Series. And now, another rival Truck driver has raised their voice against the allegedly unfair ruling.
It is understandable that a new OEM would find it difficult to join the series and compete with others who already have years of experience. However, that doesn’t mean bending the rules so far that the current teams are affected. As per the new rule, NASCAR may assign up to four extra starting positions (37th to 40th) in the field for new OEM vehicles if they don’t qualify on speed. Not everyone has been left happy with this, to say the least.
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Actor-turned racer left disappointed, along with Dale Jr.
Bob Pockrass shared the update on his socials the day NASCAR announced this new rule. Dale Earnhardt Jr’s reaction with one reply spoke volumes. Many agreed with him. This rule wouldn’t just give Kaulig Racing an unfair advantage (who will run Ram Trucks), but would also allow the team to not care about their qualifying setup and just worry about the race.
This is luxury, as Frankie Muniz wrote on social media, replying to another one of Pockrass’ posts.
“The biggest thing is they don’t have to focus on building a fast car for qualifying. They can just focus 100% on building a good race car that handles better. Most teams don’t get that luxury,” Muniz wrote.
This is quite true. While most teams will have to worry about their qualifying and race performances separately, Ram Trucks would have an entry in the race without a doubt. While NASCAR says it is only to help new OEMs adapt more effectively to the competition, it still poses a significant risk of granting an unfair advantage. Moreover, the teams can also push further to the limit, as they wouldn’t have to worry about causing minor damage.
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However, this new rule will only apply to the first three races of the season. Yet, those races are enough to affect the Championship Points, which these teams will still earn.
How can teams exploit NASCAR’s OEM Provisional?
While NASCAR’s new OEM provisional rule is intended to ease the entry of a new manufacturer into the Truck Series, it has drawn criticism for undermining the sport’s long-term merit system. While Ram, the only new OEM in the Truck field this year, is practically protected by this provision, long-standing manufacturers like Ford, Chevy, and Toyota would still be at complete risk of a DNQ, owing to the brutal system the Truck Series uses for speed-based qualifying.
The controversy deepens because these provisionally qualified trucks would still be eligible to score championship points. That opens the door for teams to build owner points without first demonstrating competitive pace, potentially insulating them from future DNQs later in the season.
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Many argue that this could encourage sandbagging during qualifying, reduce the importance of one-lap pace, and ultimately modify the setups that they use.
Furthermore, this rule can affect smaller, independent teams. With the Truck Series field limited in size, guaranteed spots for the new OEM entries could mean some fatter but less-funded teams miss races altogether.
Even though NASCAR only introduced this provision to aid Ram’s entry into the sport, many argue that teams in the earlier years never had it this easy, and it is quite true. It was either pace or nothing. Hence, it is quite understandable why the likes of Dale Jr. and other drivers find it unfair.
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