Ahead of the 2025 NASCAR Cup season, a new set of regulations were posted for the coming campaign. However, those rules are pretty controversial, to put it lightly. One of the biggest talking points is the Daytona 500 eligibility, which has gotten a whole lot more complicated.

Before this, there was talks of 65-year-old former NASCAR driver, Mike Wallace entering the Daytona 500. Other potential entrants included IndyCar veteran, Helio Castroneves. Many of the drivers have been divided on the matter, and Blaney also had his say. From a team perspective, he was thrilled because Castroneves was part of the Team Penske family for a long time. Now, the new rules have complicated things, and Ryan Blaney has called it out.

Ryan Blaney called out the whole situation with NASCAR

In a nutshell, Wallace’s participation was nixed because he has not been actively racing recently. His last race on an intermediate or larger race track was back in 2015. According to NASCAR, ‘recent racing activity and performance’ are to be considered, to enter a race. And, Team Penske doesn’t just operate in NASCAR, but in IndyCar, IMSA SportsCar, and the World Endurance Championship. Castroneves is still considered active in the IndyCar racing scene for NASCAR to count him in.

Ryan Blaney said on Door Bumper Clear, “Personally, I’m happy for Helio because I love Helio. He was driving IndyCars when I got over to Penske and he’s one of the nicest and greatest human being you’ll ever meet. I was pumped to race with him at Daytona.” It looks like Blaney likes to see his adversary’s race. If he is ready to accept Castrovenes as competition, it means he sees him in the ranks of a NASCAR racer. But, that does not stop him from taking a dig at the new rule set forth by NASCAR. “Personally, I was really happy for Helio, digging into it more, don’t get greedy with this,” Blaney said expressing his happiness while working authorities of the sport so dear to him.

Previously, Chase Elliot and Denny Hamlin gave their statements regarding the rule, calling NASCAR the ‘highest form of motorsports in America’ and how handing out free spots could cause problems. Blaney agrees to them. “If we’re just giving out free spots to other folks who want to come in and run one-offs. You got to be able to get your work in and qualify for it. It sucks if qualifying gets rained out and you don’t make the show, but that’s just part of racing,” he said.

This new regulation is called the ‘Open Exemption Provisional,’ and drivers have slammed the move as ‘desperate’. In a way, they do have a point because it could be perceived as NASCAR’s attempt to drum up attention. After all, it works well for NASCAR’s image if they were attracting some of the biggest motorsports stars. The OEP does not apply to full-time Cup drivers. Instead, it is aimed toward top drivers from other series such as IndyCar, WEC, Formula 1, and more.

The OEP essentially means that the driver is guaranteed a 41st grid spot. So far, the full entry list has yet to be published, but the iconic race is expecting more than 40 cars are expected to try and qualify. 36 spots are already reserved for charter-owning teams, while the other four are open to all entrants. Confirmation is based on a system of single-car qualifying and split-field qualifying races.

What to expect from the 2025 Daytona 500?

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NASCAR is unofficially back, following the Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium. Chase Elliott might have won the warm-up before the main event. But, the playing field is wide open. The real start of the season is the iconic Daytona 500, which begins on February 16 this year.

Elliott will be a favorite, as the momentum will be with him after the Bowman Gray win. Other favorites include last year’s winner William Byron, defending champion Joey Logano, and 3-time winner, Denny Hamlin. But, the season’s favorite picks, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch have a different history repeated if they win. Of course, there are plenty of other drivers in the mix, and often the Daytona 500 throws up unexpected race winners. But, Kyle Busch’s situation resembles that of legendary driver Dale Earnhardt Sr., making fans root for his 20th Daytona run!