Helio Castroneves is locked in the Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series domain via the new interim open exemption rule, the sanctioning body confirmed on Friday.
Castroneves will be in the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet for the Feb. 16 race in what is an open entry. But NASCAR’s new OEP rule helps guarantee a starting spot for “world-class drivers” in NASCAR Cup Series races. Castroneves, as a multiple-time Indianapolis 500 champion and winner of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, certainly applies himself as a world-class driver.
If Castroneves must use the provisional, the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet will be the 41st car in the 500 field. He will attempt to make the Daytona 500 field anyway through qualifying and dual races.
The new interim rule is part of the new charter agreement and was known to charter teams well in advance, NASCAR said, and Trackhouse met the 90-day approval requirement before Friday’s announcement .
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Castroneves and the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing team will not be eligible for points, prize money or playoffs, but they will be eligible for race victory and entry into the All-Star Race.
The OEP only applies to Cup Series races with more than 40 entries for the normal maximum of a 40-car field.
The entry list for next month’s Daytona 500 is expected to include open entries led by Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Mike Wallace and others.
This article was originally published on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR: Helio Castroneves entered in the Daytona 500 peloton with a new provisional
