Kevin Harvick Offended as NASCAR Disrespects Ex-Cup Series Champions With Controversial Rule Change

NASCAR’s new Open Exemption Provisional has been the talk of the town ahead of the Daytona 500. The OEP allows a team to have a guaranteed spot in a Cup Series race, a mechanism for non-NASCAR drivers to compete in the premier stock car racing series. Well, Trackhouse Racing was quick in making use of this provision and secured a spot for four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

A veteran open-wheel racing star driver making his NASCAR debut at the Great American Race is indeed a huge deal. However, the manner in which NASCAR has left the OEP open-ended has attracted criticism from experts and former drivers. Kevin Harvick, in particular, was livid with how the governing body was promoting drivers from different disciplines while ignoring their very own heroes.

Is NASCAR sidelining its former drivers and superstars?

So the criteria for being eligible for the provisional is that a driver should be world-class. None of the full-time drivers can apply for this provisional, and the team fielding the entry should put in a request for the provisional 90 days before the event. Interestingly, there’s no clear language clarity on what NASCAR means by world-class driver. Given that they’ve already handed the OEP to Trackhouse Racing and Helio Castroneves has further added to the chaos.

It has to be noted that the likes of Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson could miss out on the Daytona 500. But, thanks to the provisional, Castroneves will advance to the main event regardless of the outcome of his qualifying rounds. And this is something Kevin Harvick dislikes about how NASCAR has put the open provisional to aid and support non-NASCAR drivers. “So what I’m taking in is that retired world-class NASCAR champions are not world-class. So not eligible for provisional?” Harvick said this on the Happy Hour podcast.

Imagine Tony Stewart hopping back inside of the Cup car to race at a road course or Dale Earnhardt Jr. making a one-off start in the JRM Cup car. Would NASCAR consider them world-class drivers over the decorated stars from other series? Now that’s when things will get tricky for NASCAR. As much as they would like to attract more eyeballs, fans would want to see former champions and superstar drivers. But with the way the OEP is set up, it feels as if it is rigged against the former drivers.

“That’s the thing I don’t like about this rule. It caught a lot of people off guard. I love the intent, and I love the fact that it’s going to attract people from other forms of racing, but I don’t like the fact that it left us on our own… I can promise you that people are going to show up if a Tony Stewart or Dale Jr., myself, or Martin Truex, whoever, right? It would’ve opened the door to take care of your past drivers, and everybody would actually show up for it. I get it that we’re trying to expose it to the world, but forget about our own.” Harvick added.

Well, even Hendrick Motorsports vice president Jeff Gordon has his doubts regarding the Open provisional. His questions and queries certainly open up a platform for more discussions on whether or not NASCAR should tweak this new rule.

What defines world-class drivers, asks Jeff Gordon

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Luckily, NASCAR dodged a bullet this time around, as they had only requested the provisional coming from Trackhouse Racing. What if multiple teams had filed a request for an open provisional? Where would NASCAR’s case-by-case study stand? If someday, Lewis Hamilton decides to compete in a NASCAR race alongside seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson, which one of them gets the provisional?

The popular appeal and fandom come with Hamilton, whereas the traditional fans would like to see Johnson be given the guaranteed spot. This is exactly the point that Kevin Harvick was trying to make; the only difference in Gordon’s case is that he wants clarity. Define criteria or the process through which NASCAR will select the best driver that is worthy of the OEP.

“Does it just become a popularity contest, and what again is the popularity are basing it off? Then you’ve got past champion and seven-time champion like Jimmie Johnson; where does he fit in that kind of criteria? That’s my only question about it all, and I don’t have all the answers, but that’s certainly something I’m going to ask NASCAR when I get a chance to.” Gordon said this on SiriusXM NASCAR radio.

NASCAR is going to have its hands full when stakeholders and team leaders argue their points with the new open provisional. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see changes made to this new rule after its debut appearance in the Daytona 500.