New stage procedures, ‘Hail Melon’ ban, expanded rain racing among changes for 2023
NASCAR announced Tuesday a plethora of rule changes for the 2023 season.
Headlining the changes is the elimination of stage cautions on road courses, except for standalone Xfinity and Truck races.
NASCAR cited data from the Fan Council and industry discussions as motivation for the rule change. Stage points will be awarded when a stage ends but a stage caution won’t fly.
The sanctioning body says they hope to encourage teams to employ more varied pit strategies that could shake up the feel and flow of a road course race.
In 2023, no one will be able to replicate Ross Chastain’s ‘Hail Melon’move. NASCAR will now levy a time penalty for any similar attempts, citing rule 10.5.2.6.A. The rule states, in part, “any violations deemed to compromise the safety of an Event or otherwise pose a dangerous risk… are treated with the highest degree of seriousness.”
Before 2023, wet-weather equipment could only be used in road course races. Now, in 2023, that equipment could be used in races at the following tracks that are a mile or less in length and are low-banked:
- L.A. Memorial Coliseum
- Martinsville Speedway
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway
- North Wilkesboro Speedway
- Phoenix Raceway
- Richmond Raceway
- The Milwaukee Mile
- Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Other rule changes specify any driver that participates in every event is playoff eligible if they win and, if they miss an event, a waiver from NASCAR.
Previously, Cup drivers needed to be in the top 30 in points to be playoff-eligible with a win and Xfinity and Truck drivers needed to be in the top 20 to be playoff eligible with a win.
Penalties for a detached wheel have also been amended. Instead of a four-race suspension, a two-lap penalty and two-race, series-specific suspension for two crew members will be levied.
If the detached wheel is isolated to pit road, a pass-through penalty will be levied under green and a tail end of the longest line penalty will be levied under caution.
The choose rule has also been expanded to Atlanta, Daytona, Talladega and Bristol dirt. The restart zone is also going to be increased by 50% in length for the first five races, then NASCAR will assess its use in the following races.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com
Hail Melon sounds too speculative. Use the double yellow line rule. You can’t improve your position on the track if you are in contact with and/or intend to use the wall for said purpose.