Daytona 500 2016: Why are there only 40 cars?

The Daytona 500 will be slightly congested during this year’s event.

The “Great American Race” is back on Sunday, but will look slightly different. This year’s Daytona 500 will only feature 40 cars instead of the traditional 43 car maximum field that NASCAR Sprint Cup fans is used to seeing.

Due to NASCAR’s new rule with chartered teams and open teams, there will only be a maximum of 40 cars in each NASCAR Sprint Cup race this season. Of the 40 teams, 36 of them are chartered teams that will automatically be apart of each Sprint Cup race every week.

By having fewer cars on the track each week, the chances of a crash happening drops slightly. It will also allow for more opportunities to drive more aggressively and try to squeeze into a tight window to gain a spot or two in a race. For the Daytona 500 and some of the longer tracks throughout NASCAR venues, it will still allow for drivers to gain a nice distance on others, but not have to worry as much about cars they are attempting to lap.

In the end it’s only three cars not on the track. There will still be a maximum of 40 cars allowed during all races, but not every race will have 40 cars i it. Overall, it’s a great move by NASCAR to provided some consistency to each Sprint Cup race by having the chartered teams participate in each qualifying and race every week there’s an event. It will allow those tuning in to see the same drivers every week outside of the bigger names.

The Daytona 500, one of the oldest NASCAR races and the biggest on the current calendar, will bring in a new era when 40, not 43, cars rev their engine to start the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.