NASCAR Cup Series: Top 5 storylines heading into the 2019 season

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 10: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Chocolate Bar Toyota, leads during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

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AVONDALE, AZ – MARCH 11: Crew members push the car of Alex Bowman (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

#2: Disqualifications

One of the biggest rule changes to hit the NASCAR world during the offseason is the ability for drivers and teams to be officially disqualified from races if they fail post-race inspection.

NASCAR will now perform post-race inspections at the race tracks after each race. If a car is found to have what NASCAR considers “major violations”, which have not yet been specified, the driver and car will officially be disqualified from the race.

In the case of a disqualification, the affected team and driver would lose all points, winnings, the trophy and any perks associated with the win. The affected team and driver would be dropped to last place in that race and receive any points and money associated with a last place result.

What is interesting about this concept is the question of whether or not teams will continue to push the limits. In the past, drivers were still credited with wins, but they didn’t get to cash in on the playoff perks associated with winning.

Now, all would be lost.

I personally believe that this will cut down on teams pushing the limits too far, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on. After all, someone is bound to get disqualified at some point, which will create a major story during the season.

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