NASCAR tightens limits on Cup drivers in Xfinity/Truck Series again
NASCAR has taken further steps to reduce Cup drivers' participation in its lower level Xfinity and Trucks series
Stock car racing's governing body has made a series of rules adjustments in recent years to prevent its top tier drivers dominating the support categories too.
From next season drivers with more than three full-time seasons in the Cup series will be limited to five races each year in both Xfinity and Trucks. The current limit is seven.
In addition, any drivers earning points in the Cup series are barred from running in the regular-season finale and all playoff races in the other series as well as the two support championships' bonus money mini-series - Xfinity's 'Dash 4 Cash' races and the Truck Series' 'Triple Truck Challenge'.
NASCAR's senior director of racing operations Meghan Miley said the changes "continue our commitment to strengthening our race teams and providing a stronger field with even greater competition for our fans".
The existing limits had already had a dramatic impact on the Xfinity and Truck series.
Earlier in the decade, the majority of rounds of what is now Xfinity were won by full-time Cup drivers adding additional races to their programmes.
But this year only three of the 22 Xfinity races held so far have been won by a Cup regular, with Kyle Busch triumphing on each occasion.
Limiting Cup drivers' Xfinity participation was intended to underline its purpose as a feeder series developing talent for the top class.
The current Xfinity top three are all in their early 20s and affiliated with Cup teams - Richard Childress Racing protege Tyler Reddick currently leading Joe Gibbs Racing young gun Christopher Bell and Stewart-Haas's Cole Custer.
Kyle Busch is also the only Cup driver to have won in Trucks this year, winning five of the series' 17 rounds so far including a run of four in a row early in the season.
Busch: We're getting our ass kicked by Joe Gibbs NASCAR team-mates
Dale Earnhardt Jr's one-off NASCAR race still on after plane crash
The key factors behind Porsche's strong start to Formula E's new era
A low-key Valencia test left some quarters of Porsche's Formula E squad worried, but a 100% winning start for the German manufacturer's powertrain in 2022-23 underlines its early race day advantage. Porsche's key figures explain the strong start in Gen3, and why the work is only just beginning
Acura aces hope Daytona 24 1-2 changes Honda's Le Mans outlook
Acura's Tom Blomqvist and Filipe Albuquerque hope the marque's 1-2 in the Daytona 24 Hours could encourage Honda to enter the car in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2024.
Why F1 considered reintroducing 'fan car' aerodynamics for 2026
The recent revelation that Formula 1 chiefs briefly evaluated the idea of fan cars being part of a new rules set from 2026 was fascinating on two levels.
Did the new national series of 2022 fly or flop?
There weren’t many standout stars from the selection of series launched during last year’s tricky financial climate. Autosport rates how they fared
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.