DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A controversial new NASCAR rule designed for “world-class drivers" could give Helio Castroneves an automatic berth into the Daytona 500, and, should the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner use the provisional, it would make for the largest field in a decade.
It's a complicated rule that was written into the charter agreement that 13 teams signed last September and is similar to a “promoters provisional” in that it gives NASCAR the ability to designate one driver as a guaranteed 41st entry.
Three-time Daytona 500 Denny Hamlin winner said the rule “reeks of desperation” by NASCAR, calling it nothing but a gimmick to attract big stars to stock car racing. Others wondered why the provisional went to Castroneves, who at 49 will be making his NASCAR debut, instead of seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, a two-time Daytona 500 winner.
The rule is designed for drivers who don't currently race full time in NASCAR, so Johnson and 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. would have been eligible for consideration for the provisional.
But their teams never put in the request, which must be done 90 days before the event. Only Trackhouse Racing requested the provisional for Castroneves, who enters Wednesday's qualifying as the only driver eligible for the 41st spot.
“I think Jimmie Johnson is a world-class driver, but I guess other people don’t,” Alex Bowman said. "It’s an interesting rule for sure. There’s a lot of hype and importance to the sport to have people like (Castroneves) that come in and, if they miss the race, it kind of hurts the whole thing.
"So I get it, but I also wish some of our past champions were respected in the same way in some sense.”
Castroneves will use the provisional only if he fails in traditional qualifying to claim one of the four open spots in what was supposed to be a 40-car field. If he uses it, the 41 cars will be the most in the Daytona 500 since 2015, when 43 cars was still standard.
Trackhouse and Castroneves also won't receive any points or payouts if he's the 41st driver, and all drivers who finish behind him will be moved up one position in the standings.
The rule has divided the field, even though it probably will come into play only at Daytona International Speedway, where nine drivers are vying for the four open spots. NASCAR's charter system guarantees entry to 36 cars every race.
“Aside from the Daytona 500, we don’t get in a spot very often where drivers of that caliber are going home," Tyler Reddick said. "I don’t know where to fall on this. On one hand, I would hate for a guy like Lewis Hamilton to come over here and attempt to start the 500... (and) something keeps him from running the race. We also don’t just want to let them have a spot in the race — like, they have to earn it.”
Logically, if multiple drivers had requested the provisional, the most sense would have been for it to go to the highest qualifier.
Nope.
If NASCAR does receive multiple requests, NASCAR will decide who the designated “world-class driver” is ahead of the event. The criteria listed in the charter for the rule states "the “Open Exemption” position is intended for a driver who will significantly impact the promotion of the event and grow the prominence of the sport.
In a competition briefing held for media last month, a hypothetical scenario was posed about what NASCAR would do if seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton, four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon and Johnson, who is also a NASCAR Hall of Famer, all put in a request for the same race.
“I’d love to have that problem,” said John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president of racing development.
NASCAR could have that problem later this year when it goes to Mexico City, where several teams are exploring deals to enter Juan Pablo Montoya in the race, and who knows who could show up at a road course — Shane van Gisbergen was brought into the inaugural street race at Chicago, won it and by the end of the year had left his Australian V8 Supercars career behind for NASCAR.
At Indianapolis in 2023, former F1 drivers Jenson Button and Kamui Kobayashi were both in the field, while Button was part of the same field as Kimi Raikkonen to make it two F1 world champions in the 2023 race at Circuit of the Americas.
“I can argue both sides of the fence. You’d hate to have a Helio Castroneves, a Max Verstappen, a Lewis Hamilton or someone come in to run a race and then miss the show due to something silly,” Chase Elliott said. "So I can certainly see that aspect of it from a promoter. But I also think that with prestigious races, there should be some sort of integrity in making the show.
"I think that’s part of what makes the race prestigious. You know, it’s a hard event to make. I think you see that with the Indianapolis 500, or you see that at the Chili Bowl, right? It’s a hard race to make. It’s a big deal just to get into the show. I just don’t want to ever degrade or hurt the long-term integrity of the sport and take the prestige out of events that should be some of our biggest days of the year.”
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE Martin Truex Jr. interacts with spectators while walking down a runway during driver introductions before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Aug. 24, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, file)
FILE - Jimmie Johnson walks out during driver introductions for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 19, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, file)
FILE - Helio Castroneves is introduced before the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix auto race in Detroit, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)
FILE - Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, talks with other drivers during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a popular opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links. The detention of Ekrem Imamoglu was a dramatic escalation in an ongoing crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued warrants for Imamoglu and some 100 other people. Among those detained was Imamoglu's close aide, Murat Ongun and two district mayors.
Authorities also closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in an apparent effort to prevent protests following the arrest.
Critics say the crackdown follows significant losses by Erdogan’s ruling party in local elections last year amid growing calls for early national elections. Government officials insist that the courts operate independently and reject claims that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated.
“We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged,” Imamoglu said earlier in the day in a video post on social media.
Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock describing the arrests as a "blow to democracy in Turkey.”
“We are seeing clearly that the space for opposition politicians is getting smaller and smaller,” she said.
People gathered later on Wednesday near Istanbul’s police headquarters, carrying posters of the mayor and banners with his photo around their shoulders. Others chanted slogans and raised their fists in the air as riot police cordoned off the facility.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc told reporters the arrests had nothing to do with the government. “Linking investigations and cases initiated by the judiciary to our President is, at best, presumptuous and inappropriate,” he said.
Erdogan, a populist with increasingly authoritarian tendencies, has led Turkey as prime minister or president for more than 20 years. His current term runs until 2028 but he has indicated he'd like to serve longer — something he could achieve with a constitutional change or if early elections are called.
The Istanbul Stock Exchange’s main index dropped by 7% over the news, triggering a temporary halt in trading to prevent panic selling and stabilize the market. Trading later resumed but was again halted in the afternoon. The Turkish lira lost some 7% of its value against the dollar.
Anadolu, the news agency, said that Imamoglu and several others are suspected of a multitude of financial irregularities.
Imamoglu is also suspected of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, by allegedly forming an alliance with a Kurdish umbrella organization for the Istanbul municipal elections, the agency said. The PKK, behind a decadeslong insurgency in Turkey, is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington and other allies.
Imamoglu's wife, Dilek, told the private Now television that police arrived at their residence around dawn and that the mayor was taken around 7:30 a.m.
A day earlier, Istanbul University invalidated Imamoglu's diploma, effectively disqualifying him from the next presidential race — a university degree is a requisite for running in elections under Turkish law.
The mayor’s party — the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP — was to hold a primary on Sunday where he was expected to be chosen for its candidate in future presidential elections.
With all the arrests Wednesday, that vote was in doubt but party chairman Ozgur Ozel said it would go ahead as planned.
In a message conveyed through his lawyer, Imamoglu said his morale was high and encouraged his supporters to “keep their spirits high.”
“We will emerge stronger from this process," his lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan quoted him as saying.
In a social media post in English, Imamoglu said he stands “resolute, entrusting myself not only to the 16 million residents of Istanbul but to the 86 million citizens" of Turkey.
Hundreds also gathered outside CHP’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkey's capital, as the party's lawmakers protested inside the parliament, disrupting proceedings before marching out.
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party condemned the detentions and called for the immediate release of all taken into custody.
Imamoglu's arrest was a "disgrace that will not be forgotten for centuries. This operation, which shatters faith in justice, is an attempt to redesign politics through the judiciary,” Tulay Hatimogullari, the party’s co-chairwoman, wrote on X.
Turkey has been trying for decades to join the European Union, but its accession process is held up over concerns about its commitment to democracy and other values like respect for the rule of law.
“The arrest of the mayor is deeply concerning,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, told reporters in Brussels. “Turkey must uphold the democratic values, especially the rights of elected officials.”
Amnesty International said Imamoglu’s detention marked an escalation in Turkey’s crackdown on the opposition.
“While the weaponization of vague anti-terrorism allegations to detain and prosecute opponents is not new, these latest detentions and associated restrictions represent an alarming intensification of the targeting of real or perceived critics," said Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty’s deputy director for Europe.
Ongun, the mayor's aide, appealed for support on X even as he himself was being arrested, though at the time he apparently didn't know that Imamoglu was also being taken into custody.
“I entrust Ekrem Imamoglu to the Turkish nation. Protect, watch over and support him. They cannot be defeat the nation," Ongun said.
Separately, police also detained a prominent investigative journalist, Ismail Saymaz, for questioning, the opposition-aligned Halk TV reported.
Meanwhile, internet-access advocacy group netblocks.org reported Wednesday that access has been restricted in Turkey to popular social media platforms.
In nullifying Imamoglu’s diploma, the university cited alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus to its business faculty, a decision Imamoglu said he would challenge.
Later Wednesday, students at the university held a protest to denounce Imamoglu's arrest. No violence was immediately reported.
Imamoglu faces multiple lawsuits, including allegations of trying to influence a judicial expert investigating opposition-led municipalities. The cases could result in prison sentences and a political ban.
He is also appealing a 2022 conviction of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council, a case that could result in a political ban.
Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, a historic blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.
The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won. The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which his party made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.
Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Lorian Belanger in Bangkok and Cinar Kiper in Bodrum, Turkey, contributed to this report.
A woman protests, holding a poster of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in front of a police cordon blocking the roads leading to the Vatan Security Department, where Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People chant slogans and hold posters of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Security have cordons off the area around City Hall following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Security agents cordon off the area around City Hall following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Police have cordons off the roads lead to the Vatan security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is supposed to be taken , following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A woman walks past police cordons blocking the roads leading to the Vatan Security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Police have cordons off the roads lead to the Vatan security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is supposed to be taken, following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
People chant slogans, one holding a banner featuring a photo of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, while protesting his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
People chant slogans as they protest the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
People chant slogans as they protest the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Police cordon off the roads leading to the Vatan Security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
People gather, holding a banner featuring a photo of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, to protest his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Women stand in protest outside the City Hall following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People chant slogans as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
People chant slogans and hold posters of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Police cordon off the roads leading to the Vatan Security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
People chant slogans and hold posters of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman protests, holding a poster of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in front of a police cordon blocking the roads leading to the Vatan Security Department, where Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Backdropped by a billboard featuring a photo of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, people chant slogans as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People chant slogans as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman protests, holding a poster of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in front of a police cordon blocking the roads leading to the Vatan Security Department, where Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People chant slogans and hold posters of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People chant slogans as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Police cordon off the roads leading to the Vatan Security Department, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A man wears a banner featuring a photo of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as he and others protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where Imamoglu is expected to be taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
FILE.- Istanbul Mayor and Republican People's Party, or CHP, candidate Ekrem Imamoglu take photographs with supporters during a campaign rally in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 21, 2024.(AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
FILE - Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu addresses his supporters in front of the Istanbul courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, file)
