UPDATE: Jimmie Johnson qualified second among the nine non-chartered cars in qualifying Wednesday night, guaranteeing him a spot in the Daytona 500.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves knows he’ll make his first NASCAR Cup start in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson can’t be so sure he’ll be in the Great American Race for his 699th series start.
At the heart of this disparity is a new NASCAR rule that allows a provisional starting spot — minus the points and money that could be earned in that race — for a world class driver. Only one such provisional is available per race and it must be requested 90 days before an event.
Trackhouse Racing requested the provisional and could use it with Castroneves if he doesn’t earn a starting spot through Wednesday night’s qualifying or Thursday’s duel races.
Legacy Motor Club did not request the provisional for Johnson, in the the appropriate time. The two-time Daytona 500 champion has no guarantee of making the race.
“We really didn’t know about it until the rule came out (in January),” Johnson said Wednesday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. “Evidently it was buried in the charter agreement that was pushed out.
“When the rule came out … three minutes later we were on the phone with NASCAR and recognized that it wasn’t in the 90-day window (before the 500) and that we weren’t eligible.
“We’ve had a lot of talks with everyone at NASCAR. I have a better understanding of the intent of the rule. I would anticipate some changes following here to better define and clarify that.”
NASCAR plans to discuss the rule further after Daytona determine if any clarifications need to be made. In a meeting with reporters last month, NASCAR stated that Johnson and former Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. qualify as elite drivers based on their accomplishments.
Johnson said he he and team read the rule “our reaction wasn’t great.”
Asked if he was pissed off, Johnson said: “Initially, yes. When I spoke to (NASCAR Chairman) Jim France when I was down here for the Rolex 24 and understanding the intent behind it, I now understand what he was trying to do.
“The words didn’t come out correctly in the charter agreement or the interactions following that, but I really do believe in having a chance to bring in a Formula One driver, an IndyCar driver, whoever it might be, and that does take time to find a time to run, find a partnership to do it, to really exploit that opportunity.
“I think it’s really good for our sport. Just the delivery was a bit tricky this time around.”
It puts Johnson in a bind. Sponsor Carvana brought in pro basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and the car’s design is inspired by O’Neal’s basketball career. Johnson said it is to be a part of a promotion for the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game the following weekend.
“TNT and Fox are collaborating and working together with planned interaction back-and-forth,” Johnson said of the NBA All-Star Game broadcaster and network that will air the Daytona 500. “And of course, we’d love to have Shaq here. With the eyeballs and added exposure, this will have more reach as you’ll have the two networks and different fanbases (watching) and should be really, really good. So if we’re not in the race, that’s definitely a shame.
Denny Hamlin questioned the new rule earlier this month ahead of the Clash at Bowman Gray.
“I just think – it reeks of desperation,” he said. “I don’t know how else to say it. I don’t know how nice you can really say it. It just feels like you are really trying to get any kind of headline you can to be relevant and I don’t love it.
“To me it is a short-term gain, long-term loss. I just think that you are premier stock car series in the U.S. The premier racing sport in the U.S.; be the big boys and force people to come in here and get their credentials and do it the natural way.
“I don’t think it is going to be a big factor anywhere other than Daytona, but just simply put, saying that someone has a name that interests you and that they are going to have an automatic bid in the highest form of motorsports in the US – I don’t love it.”
Chase Elliott admits he sees both sides of the matter.
“You’d hate to have a Helio Castroneves, a Max Verstappen, a Lewis Hamilton or someone come in to run a race and then miss the show due to something silly,” Elliott said earlier this month at the Clash. “So I can certainly see that aspect of it from a promotor side of things, where you wouldn’t want to risk that because that’s obviously going to be a big deal for you.
“But I also think that with prestigious races, there should be some sort of integrity in making the show. I think that’s part of what makes the race prestigious. You know, it’s a hard event to make. I think you see that with the Indianapolis 500, or you see that at the Chili Bowl, right? It’s a hard race to make. It’s a big deal just to get into the show, so I can see both sides of the fence there. I think it’s totally fine.
“I just don’t want to ever degrade or hurt the long-term integrity of the sport and take the prestige out of events that should be some of our biggest days of the year.”
Castroneves said Wednesday that he understands the consternation over the rule and its impact should Johnson or Truex fail to make the Daytona 500.
“I never knew the rule exists, but if I have to take it, I won’t deny, I will take it.”
