23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are no longer charter teams in the Cup Series as of Thursday, following a federal judge’s rejection to allow them to keep racing with charters amid a legal battle. However, NASCAR is reportedly going to do both teams a small favor.
As first reported by JaySki.com, NASCAR released an addition to its rulebook that allows it to limit the number of entries for a Cup Series race to 40 teams. The new rule allows NASCAR to fill open slots based on the team owner’s points standings
“Rule 5.1.F. –NASCAR, at its sole discretion, may elect to limit the number of entries for a race to 40. In such instances, Open Teams will be determined based on the Team Owner Points standings. Rule 7.9.1.1.C. –Up to six Open Teams will be eligible for starting grid positions based on the highest ranked Team Owner Points standings.”
NASCAR rule book on open teams allowed in Cup Series races
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Previously, under the original rulebook, Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing drivers would be required to qualify among the top 40 to compete. This meant that if any drivers from 23XI (Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Riley Herbst) or FRM (Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith, Noah Gragson) failed to qualify within the top 40 in time trials, they would be ineligible to race that weekend.
On the one hand, this could be viewed as a gesture of good faith by the league to ensure that two of its prominent teams can compete in the remainder of the races on the NASCAR schedule. However, this could also be viewed as a legal strategy to avoid either team claiming that losing its charter status resulted in failing to qualify and thus costing the organizations financially.
Related: NASCAR Reporter Sheds Light on Tyler Reddick’s Future with 23XI Racing
Ultimately, this rule is unlikely to come into play. Since the Chicago Street Race, only the Daytona 500 has seen more than 40 entrants in qualifying this season. No other race is expected to have a full 40-car field, meaning 23XI and FRM drivers would likely qualify for races even without this change.
It’s worth noting that operating as open teams has already cost both organizations a significant amount of money, especially 23XI Racing. In Sunday’s Cup Series race at Dover, Bubba Wallace finished sixth and Tyler Reddick placed 12th. Because they are competing as open teams, they receive significantly less of the purse money than they would have if they were chartered and earned those same finishes.
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