The NASCAR Cup Series driver approval process has been a topic of discussion this season. Now, the series regulars have weighed in and explained that they want some more information and some more structure.
"I think in NASCAR, I don't know what the approval process is, so I can't really speak on what needs to change," Kyle Larson said Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
"But it is surprising sometimes when some drivers are not allowed to run and then others are. So yeah, I don't know. maybe there just needs to be a better something in place."
The reason for the discussion is the number of drivers aiming to take on the top series in NASCAR. This season alone, four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and IMSA winner Katherine Legge have made their Cup Series debuts. Casey Mears has set up a NASCAR return at Martinsville, while Mike Wallace's entry into the Daytona 500 was denied.
Legge's debut at Phoenix Raceway became the crux of the conversation as she spun in two separate incidents, the second of which collected Daniel Suarez. The Trackhouse Racing driver responded by explaining in a vlog that he wasn't upset with Legge; his issue was with NASCAR allowing someone with "no experience" to run in the Cup Series.
Suarez was not the only driver expressing some form of frustration or confusion after the first few races of the season.
Said Kyle Busch on Saturday, "I think there's a lot of work that could be done to make it better. I also do feel as though it shouldn't be 'suit and ties' making the decisions always.
"Certainly, there can be some that need to be involved, but I do feel like there needs to be firesuits (drivers) involved in some of those decision-making processes on those that need to be approved or not approved for various activities."
Multiple Cup drivers explained at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that they don't fully know what goes into NASCAR approving a driver to run in the Cup Series. After all, this hasn't been a concern for them in several years.
Larson and Michael McDowell both mentioned having to run races on smaller tracks in lower-tier series before moving up to the Cup Series, but they noted that they didn't know the exact requirements in 2025.
McDowell also said that he didn't think Legge or Castroneves were underqualified to compete in the Cup Series this season, but he wasn't sure if they were prepared for NASCAR-specific situations on the track.
According to the podcast from NASCAR Communications, "Hauler Talk," former driver Chad Little runs a committee that determines if a driver should be approved for a specific event. They examine multiple factors before determining whether to approve drivers for specific events.
Podcast co-host Amanda Ellis also noted that in this structure, there is a roadmap for drivers to follow if they don't initially receive approval from Little and the committee.
This podcast episode cleared up some of the discussion surrounding driver approval in NASCAR. Yet the series regulars seek some more clarity as they face the possibility of even more newcomers taking spots on the starting grid.
"I think there's got to be more structure around it," Logano said. "I think we're pretty just willy-nilly with it on whether you've raced in the last 10 years or not. 'What did you race' might be a better question. I mean, there's a balance in here somewhere of what makes sense.
"But when you look at F1, for anyone to get a license to race there, I don't know if any of us are qualified. Nor should we be because we've never driven anything like that. I don't think it'd be right to throw me in an F1 race without racing one before and giving me 20 minutes of practice. Yeah, I'm going to be in the way because I don't know what the heck I'm doing."