The mention of NASCAR’s charter system often ignites passionate debate. At the center of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit, charters have been criticized for solidifying a monopolistic grip on the sport, benefiting a select group of teams at the expense of others.

Yet, while the controversy rages, the very same system was instrumental in ending one of NASCAR’s most absurd and polarizing practices: start and park.

The Start and Park era: A necessary evil or an embarrassing exploit?

Imagine this: a car enters a NASCAR race, completes just a handful of laps, and then heads straight to the garage. No pit stops, no real attempt to compete, just an early exit. To the untrained eye, it might appear like mechanical failure, but to insiders, it was a deliberate strategy known as start and park.

Start and park, a peculiar strategy employed by financially strapped teams once turned NASCAR races into a farce for spectators and insiders alike. While the tactic may have offered teams a lifeline for survival, it also diluted the competitive integrity of the sport. The implementation of the charter system in 2016 effectively pushed this practice to the margins, if not eliminating it entirely at the Cup Series level. But before we delve into how the charter system accomplished this, let’s first understand why Start and Park were both ingenious and infamous.

Start and park emerged as a financial survival tactic. Teams operating on shoestring budgets found themselves in an impossible bind: the cost of competing in a full NASCAR race was astronomical, but simply qualifying for the race came with guaranteed prize money. By starting the race and parking their cars early, teams could collect a portion of the purse without bearing the full brunt of costs associated with tires, fuel, and wear and tear on equipment. For some, it was the only way to stay afloat.

The numbers were staggering. In one infamous example, Joe Nemechek earned $64,725 at a 2009 Cup Series race despite completing just a few laps and finishing 41st. By contrast, Dexter Bean, who ran the entire race and finished 36th, made only $275 more. For teams with no sponsors or limited resources, the math was undeniable—start and park made business sense.

The absurdity of start and park wasn’t limited to its economic logic; the practice occasionally veered into outright controversy. In the 2003 Craftsman Truck Series finale, Ultra Motorsports fielded five trucks to maximize their chances of winning the championship. One of these entries, driven by Marty Houston, caused a wreck that effectively eliminated title contender Brendan Gaughan, fueling accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct.

In another bizarre incident during the 2010 Cup Series season, NASCAR’s rule requiring the first car out of the race to undergo inspection led to a game of chicken among start-and-park teams. Drivers repeatedly cycled in and out of the garage, each trying to avoid being the first to retire. Ultimately, Michael McDowell “blinked” first, pulling off the track after 149 laps.

But what made the practice a lightning rod for criticism was its sheer absurdity and how often it clashed with the spirit of competition. Start and park cars often took up grid spots that could have gone to teams genuinely aiming to complete the race. Fans, too, were frustrated by the sight of cars pulling off the track with no intention of battling for position, while broadcasters danced around the obvious to avoid alienating sponsors.

As the practice gained traction, it became a crutch for low-budget teams. In some cases, it even funded other competitive entries. TriStar Motorsports, for instance, used Jeff Green as a start-and-park driver in one car while their other vehicles completed full races. Green became infamous for this role, setting a record for last-place finishes in the Xfinity Series. Between 2011 and 2013, he racked up an astonishing 37 last-place results, epitomizing the era of start and park.

For a sport built on the promise of high-speed drama and relentless competition, start and park was a glaring contradiction. NASCAR’s credibility was on the line, and changes were inevitable.

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Charter system: The unlikely solution to NASCAR’s Start and Park problem

When NASCAR introduced the charter system in 2016, its primary goal was to stabilize the financial model for teams. By granting 36 guaranteed slots to chartered teams in every race, the system ensured consistent income for participating organizations. At the same time, NASCAR reduced the field size from 43 cars to 40, making it tougher for non-chartered teams to secure a spot.

For start and park teams, the new rules spelled doom. Without a charter, teams had to fight for one of only four open spots on the grid. Even if they qualified, the reduced payouts for non-chartered entries made the start-and-park strategy less lucrative. In short, the economic incentive to park early evaporated.

“It became clear that if you weren’t going to run the whole race, there wasn’t much point in showing up,” said a former team owner who relied on start and park to fund operations. “The charter system changed the game completely.”

But the charter system wasn’t the only factor. NASCAR had already begun discouraging the practice in the early 2010s by restructuring prize money and introducing new rules. For example, the first car to drop out of a race would be sent to NASCAR’s R&D Center for inspection, a move designed to add inconvenience and scrutiny for habitual parkers. The shrinking field sizes in the Xfinity and Truck Series further squeezed out start-and-park teams.

By the late 2010s, start and park was largely extinct at the Cup Series level, though it lingered in the lower tiers. The No. 66 of MBM Motorsports and the No. 89 of Shepherd Racing Ventures were among the few teams still engaging in the practice in the Xfinity Series as recently as 2022. But even here, its prevalence dwindled as NASCAR continued to tighten the screws.

Today, the charter system has reshaped NASCAR’s landscape, ensuring financial stability for established teams while making Start and Park a relic of the past. While debates about the fairness of the system persist, its impact on the sport’s credibility is undeniable. NASCAR races now feature fewer “field fillers” and more genuine competition, a testament to the sport’s ability to evolve.

For fans and teams alike, the demise of start and park is a win. It’s a reminder that even the most controversial policies can have unexpected benefits, steering the sport back toward the high-octane spectacle it was always meant to be.