Helio Castroneves reveals if he'll use open exemption provisional to make Daytona 500

Even if Helio Castroneves doesn’t qualify naturally for Sunday’s 67th running of the Daytona 500, he can still be in the field thanks to the new open exemption provisional.

The provisional allows a 41st spot for a world class driver from another series to make the field should they fail to qualify naturally. The new rule has been controversial in the garage, and while Castroneves understands that, he said at Wednesday’s Daytona 500 Media Day he will use it if he has to.

Helio Castroneves understands the controversy over the provisional he would get if he doesn't qualify his way into the Daytona 500 through the duels or on speed. But he also said he doesn't make the rules and he'll use it if he has to. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/jO2ZzYOnHs

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 12, 2025

“At the end of the day, I understand. I’m not the one who writes rules, by the way,” Castroneves told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “I didn’t know actually this rule exists, so when we accepted this opportunity, we accept to go and race. However, obviously whatever happens in the Duel — if I have to take it, I’ll take it.

“But you got to remember, Indy 500 is the same similarity of rules. You got to race for it, but you got a week to adapt to the car, understand it and get into it. Here, I only have 50 minutes. But at the end of the day, I never knew the rule existed but if I have to take it, I won’t deny it. I will take it.”

Castroneves, the four-time Indy 500 champion, will be making his NASCAR debut. The 49-year-old is piloting the No. 91 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 program. He is one of nine non-chartered drivers looking to race their way into the field. The other eight are Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Jimmie Johnson, Corey LaJoie, B.J. McLeod, Chandler Smith, Martin Truex Jr. and JJ Yeley. If Castroneves qualifies naturally, then the Daytona 500 will remain a 40-car field, and five open drivers will miss the race.

Justin Marks addresses using controversial rule to guarantee Helio Castroneves makes Daytona 500

Critics say the provisional devalues the Great American Race and qualifying for the event. Trackhouse owner Justin Marks doesn’t see it that way.

“I think I understand the philosophy around it,” Marks recently told Pockrass. “I think that if there’s these big names that are going to put more eyeballs on the race and take the sport to new people. Think if one day if we have Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen or somebody like that come and race the Daytona 500 and he like misses a shift on a restart on Thursday and misses the race, it really would take a lot of wind out of the sails. So, I think if you look at the business as an event business as a promotional business, they have the opportunity to make rules like that, make decisions like that. So, I understand it.

“I think, I have to go read it, I think we can still race our way in … and then not use it. That’s what we’re going to be trying to do, that’s a pretty material change to the business being able to race in. I understand the philosophy behind it. That showed up in the charter agreement, everybody read it, I think we were the only ones who put our hands up, everybody could but we did.”