NASCAR has made a host of revisions to its rule book ahead of the 2025 Cup Series season. A new rule, called the Open Exemption Provisional or OEP, allows certain drivers from other championships to race in Cup Series events without the need to qualify. However, icons like Jimmie Johnson won’t benefit from it since the rule applies only to drivers from series outside NASCAR.
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Fans and insiders have called out the rule for its hypocrisy since legends like Johnson will still have to go through qualifying if they wish to race in a particular event. Former racer Kenny Wallace explained Jimmie’s situation on his YouTube channel.
“Jimmie Johnson’s a seven-time NASCAR champion. You know, he knows how to drive these cars, and as sad as it is to say, I think… Jimmie Johnson is a legend, but he’s just not going to draw the crowd that Helio Castroneves would. That’s my opinion … Now that’s a cold hard fact, and I know that’s hard to hear,” said Wallace.
Kenny mentioned Castroneves, a four-time Indy 500 winner, who will be driving in the upcoming Daytona 500. He was initially expected to go through the same qualifying procedures as the rest of the field. But OEP now allows him to directly turn up for the main race.
As Wallace pointed out, the crowd that Castroneves would bring is simply too large to be ignored or be gambled with through a qualifying mandate. However, Johnson will have to go through qualifying to make it to the race on February 16. And the legend could find it tough going by how things were last year.
The difficulties Johnson had in qualifying for the 2024 Daytona 500
Johnson is neither the same driver that he once was, nor does he have the best car to drive. This was proven in the Bluegreen Vacations Daytona Duel in 2024 when he struggled against JJ Yeley and barely made the final entry list for the Daytona 500.
He was able to put Yeley off his balance in the final lap to finish ahead of him and qualify for the main race. Johnson later revealed what went through his mind during the qualifier.
“I’m like, ‘I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to make the Daytona 500. I’m going to have to call all of our partners. I’m going to have to stand in the suite, shake hands during the 500, and not drive a car’,” Johnson had said.
The situation showcases what the OEP rule offers for Castroneves and other icons from the racing world. But not for someone like Johnson, despite his resume. And that’s indeed hard on the icon, like Wallace mentioned.
