2008 SPRINT CUP
PAST CHAMPION's PROVISIONAL (PCP)
RULES and STATUS
Updated 4-26-2008
- If qualifying is rained out, a provisional is NOT charged to a driver or a team.
- NASCAR permits Penske to swap owners points between Busch, Hornish: NASCAR has approved Penske Racing's request to transfer the owner points from #2-Kurt Busch to #77-Sam Hornish Jr., a move that locks the three-time IndyCar Series champion into the first five races of next season. Hornish publicly thanked Busch for giving him the points at the Penske holiday party on Friday night. Bud Denker, senior vice president of Penske Corp., confirmed Saturday that the team would swap the points with NASCAR's approval. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said the sanctioning body had signed off on the transfer. "This would obviously help Sam as he prepares to run the first five races instead of prepares to qualify for the first five races," Denker said. "With a champion like Kurt Busch and the opportunity to utilize (the points), anyone would be foolish to not take care of the situation." Hornish, a former Indianapolis 500 winner, is leaving that series for NASCAR next season. But his #77 Dodge won't be one of the 35 cars locked into the first five races of the year. As the 2004 series champion, Busch has a provisional position that he could fall back on should he fail to qualify on speed.(ESPN.com/AP)(12-15-2007)
- Past Champions Limited To 6 Provisional Berths in Cup: NASCAR announced an update to the past champion’s provisional rule in the Nextel Cup Series for 2007. Beginning this season, a past champion’s provisional may be used by an eligible driver a maximum of six times over the course of the season. In addition, a team with a past champion eligible driver may only use this provisional a maximum of six times during a season. Previously, there was no limit on usage of the past champion’s provisional over the course of the 36-race season. The provisional gives the eligible driver the 43rd and final starting position in the race field. "As NASCAR seeks to place more emphasis on competition, we have decided the time is right to limit the number of provisional's allowed,” said NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton. “We believe this revision brings the provisional policy in line with the continued growth of the sport.”(NASCAR PR)
This is only for a team/driver OUTSIDE the top-35 in owners points, drivers whose team is in the top-35 in owners points, would already be guaranteed in the field and not need the Past Champions Provisional. The provisional is not used in the event Qualifying is cancelled and not charged.(1-31-2007)
- Determining Race Line-Ups - Top 35 Guarantee: At the start of the 2005 season, NASCAR instituted a new procedure for establishing the starting race field in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series [NNCS]. NASCAR revamped the system by simplifying the procedure with teams no longer accruing provisional's throughout the season to gain entry into the starting fields. While starting positions one through 42 in the NNCS still will be determined by qualifying speed, the new system will assure the highest-ranked 35 positions of the NNCS OWNER [not Driver] championship points that have entered the event prior to the entry deadline [usually 13 days before the day of the race] one of those starting positions in the field, providing they have made an attempt to qualify [which usually means the team at least practiced and made an effort to qualify].
The remaining seven positions [36-42] will be assigned to those drivers with the fastest qualifying speeds whose car owners are not among the top 35. The final starting position [43rd] – the champion’s provisional – can be utilized by a car owner whose driver is a current or past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion who participated as a driver during the current of previous season and was entered in the event for that owner in that car prior to the entry deadline.
If there is more than one series champion vying for the position, it will be given to the most recent series champion. If the final provisional starting position – 43rd in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup – is not filled by a current or past series champion, it will be assigned to the next eligible car owner according to qualifying results.(12-31-2004)
- Previous Season the previous season owners points position is used for the first FIVE races of the season
| CHAMPION PROVISIONAL STATUS |
|---|
Past
Champ
Rank |
Driver |
Team |
Year of Last
Championship |
Present
Owners
Points Pos |
Champ
Prov
Used |
Champ
Prov
Left |
| 1 |
Jimmie Johnson |
48 |
2007 |
5 |
0 |
6 |
| 2 |
Tony Stewart |
20 |
2005 |
9 |
0 |
6 |
| 3 |
Kurt Busch |
2 |
2004 |
21 |
1 |
5 |
| 4 |
Matt Kenseth |
17 |
2003 |
20 |
0 |
6 |
| 5 |
Jeff Gordon |
24 |
2001 |
14 |
0 |
6 |
| 6 |
Bobby Labonte |
43 |
2000 |
23 |
0 |
6 |
| 7 |
Bill Elliott |
21 |
1988 |
44 |
1 |
5 |
in 2008 Kurt Busch is now in the mix since Penske Racing switched owners points between the #2 and the #77 [was #06] after the 007 season, which was ok'd by NASCAR. #44-Dale Jarrett and #21-Bill Elliott are next in line. The other past champs are all in the top-35 in owners points and do not need the use of the past champ provisional, at least for the first five races. Jarrett retires after the 5th race at Bristol. 1996 [and 1984] champ, Terry Labonte, has made no indication that he would run any races in 2008. He ran three races for MWR in the #55 car. Jarrett used all 6 of his past champ provisional's in the first 9 races of the 2008 season and missed some races because of it.
Elliott is scheduled to run around 17 races for the Wood Brothers in the #21 Ford throughout the season
