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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series-Practice and Qualifying Sep 6, 2025 Madison, Illinois, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano 22 looks on during practice and qualifying for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Madison World Wide Technology Raceway Illinois USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexPuetzx 20250906_tbs_pa2_020
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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series-Practice and Qualifying Sep 6, 2025 Madison, Illinois, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano 22 looks on during practice and qualifying for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Madison World Wide Technology Raceway Illinois USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexPuetzx 20250906_tbs_pa2_020
The Bowman Gray spectacle is barely three days old, yet NASCAR is already moving on. It was a snowstorm-afflicted and rain-weathered situation, as drivers struggled to get through a fairly long stretch of green-flag racing. Despite the disorganized nature of handling the Cook Out Clash race, the sport is diverting attention to the upcoming race, the Daytona 500. And Joey Logano’s name is writ large on a new policy.
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Joey Logano’s feat gets response after two years
“As determined by NASCAR, once a vehicle exits pit road during a Qualifying attempt, the driver’s hands may not be used to redirect air in any manner, including but not limited to, touching the window net, blocking air from entering the cockpit, redirecting air from the window, etc. Non-compliance will result in loss of Qualifying time,” a NASCAR rulebook update read.
This is quite a late response to an incident that happened in early 2024. During that season’s spring Atlanta race, Team Penske’s Joey Logano wore a webbed glove during the qualifying event. He attempted to manipulate the air using it, and that was caught on in-car cameras. NASCAR handed him a hefty $100,000 fine for violating safety protocols – but did not penalize him for the advantage he got.
No more redirecting the air with your hand/fingers during a qualifying attempt: pic.twitter.com/nldIqksW6E
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 6, 2026
Ahead of the Daytona 500, the rulebook update makes sense. Aside from Joey Logano’s webbed glove infraction, many drivers use their hands and fingers. This happens especially during superspeedway qualifying at Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway. Many put their hand on the window net or in the space between the window net and the A-post of the race car to redirect the air.
However, this new rule comes at a time when the sport is still talking about the Clash fallout. The exhibition race witnessed a record 17 cautions, with drivers running out of fuel. So with 35 laps left, NASCAR let the field take fuel – a stop that annoyed those with full tanks. Although executives cited reasons for an increased horsepower package, it still showed the disorganized nature of the event.
So, fans are a little more bothered about other issues than the one in NASCAR’s attention.
A round of protests rings out
NASCAR is bothered about the Daytona 500, but for different reasons than the fans. The superspeedway package has witnessed a riot of fuel saving and half-throttle driving in past years. After the Clash fallout, this is concerning fans more, as somebody wrote, “They worry about this but are okay with the fuel savings at Daytona. Beyond stupid.”
Additionally, the rule of stage cautions, instituted in 2017, is a subject plaguing fan memory. After the caution-riddled mess that the Clash experienced, this rule is an added headache. Somebody sarcastically wrote, Fans-“We want stage cautions gone”
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Granted, Joey Logano is not the only one to make use of his hands to regulate air. For instance, a picture from the 2025 Daytona 500 shows Todd Gilliland putting his gloved hand out of the window to block the wind. However, fans find more fault in the Next-Gen car’s aerodynamic features than drivers trying to get by. “This cars so trash that sticking your hand out the window improves lap time lmao.”
Others are simply flabbergasted by NASCAR’s area of attention. Instead of acting on popular demands like the Next-Gen car, stage cautions, they are micromanaging drivers’ small tactics. “GEEZ!! What’s next?? “Any driver caught urinating in their driver suit or expelling intestinal gas shall be penalized or disqualified”. Another fan clutched their head: “Seriously? They’re nitpicking now.”
Clearly, NASCAR’s new rule is not gaining traction among fans. With the season ahead, let’s see how this impacts drivers on superspeedways.