NASCAR provides two major updates to the rulebook in 2023

NASCAR has provided two major updates to the rulebook following the race weekend at the Chicago Street Course in early July.

NASCAR has made two notable changes to the rulebook in response to the race weekend at the Chicago Street Course in early July. Overall, the sport’s first race on a street course was a success as Shane van Gisbergen won in his debut; however, the race was shortened due to darkness. This came after the race was almost postponed to Monday due to weather.

In the rulebook, NASCAR has changed the wording to indicate that races will end with a clock instead of dictating a final lap due to “unforeseen circumstances.” This means the sport could have instituted a running clock during Chicago instead of racing back to a specific lap. The rule change helps teams prepare for any unforeseen circumstance that may occur.

The other change relates to NASCAR’s testing regulations following van Gisbergen’s victory in Chicago and the addition of several other new drivers during the 2023 season. The new regulations state a driver must have two of the following to test a Cup Series car, alongside everything else that is required:

  • Championship(s) in a major series (F1, Formula E, IndyCar, WEC, IMSA, DTM, NASCAR Cup, Supercars, WRC, MotoGP, Superbike)
  • Multiple wins and podium finishes in a major series
  • Major race wins (LeMans, Bathurst, Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500, Daytona 500, 24 Hours of Daytona, Baja 1000)
  • Significant media presence/following (racing star power)

Overall, these testing changes should help NASCAR with its new draw for international drivers as it allows them to have a better chance at testing. Meanwhile, the new procedure for ending races due to unforeseen circumstances also helps control the unpredictably and chaos seen in Chicago from a race team perspective.

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