Start and park

While start-and-park entries occasionally act as "field fillers" (a term typically used outside of NASCAR when a small number of teams show up to a racetrack), the practice is criticized in instances when they take spots away from teams intending to run the full race.

This practice is prevalent in NASCAR's second-tier Xfinity Series, notably by The Motorsports Group, RSS Racing (only number 38 or 93 to help fund the no.

[2][3][4] However, there are some cases in which a small underfunded team does use this money to eventually run full races, or conserve the car.

A visible increase in the presence of starting and parking in the 21st century made it one of the more polarizing and controversial topics in the sport.

[2][5] In 2013 and 2014, changes in the structuring of prize money awards and qualifying procedures made starting and parking less attractive, encouraging (or forcing) low-budget teams to run full races.

[1] New teams may start and park to gain funds, experience, and information to run future races competitively.

[4][8][9] When retiring from a race, a start and park team will usually list a mechanical failure as the reason for not finishing (transmission, electrical, overheating, suspension, etc...) as required by NASCAR.

[2] Because of this, there is no official way to determine if a team intended to not finish without impounding the race car for a full inspection.

This was done at a Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway in 2010, where NASCAR impounded Prism Motorsports' 41st finishing No.

[11][13][14] NASCAR has also been accused of allowing noncompetitive entries into the race — or inviting the teams themselves — in order to fill the full 40-car starting grid (such as two 2004 incidents mentioned below).

The additional entry could also serve as a blocker of competing drivers, or could drop to the back of the field to allow the primary car to gain positions and points sufficient to clinch the championship, although unsportsmanlike conduct was never officially used nor condoned.

In 2004, Phoenix Racing, a team known for its prowess at superspeedways, and veteran driver Joe Ruttman, gained notoriety for failing to hire a pit crew during the Subway 400 at Rockingham Speedway.

The team earned $54,196 for their efforts, but were referred to as "sort of a sham" by NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter.

It had been rumored, however, that NASCAR itself had contacted teams (including Phoenix) to fill the 43-car field after only 37 entries planned on running the race, an accusation the sanctioning body denied.

72 Ford was also black flagged eight minutes into the race for not maintaining minimum speed on the one mile track, adding to the speculation.

Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) director Joe Balash stated that the growing purses available for competing were responsible for the increase, while drivers and car owners cited the state of the economy and costs of competing as the reason for the prevalence of the practice.

[2][19] Among the most well-known examples was the Nationwide Series team MSRP Motorsports, which famously started and parked their unsponsored No.

87 Nationwide Series team), TBR ran some full races when funding and resources were available.

Fellows ran competitively during his road course races, and Keselowski scored his and Finch's first victory at Talladega.

During the first twelve races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Blaney, the driver of Prism's No.

Russell's argument was that their secondary car was heavily damaged the previous week at Las Vegas.

Following a race manipulation scheme at 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400, it was clarified that start and park entries are not subject to a rule requiring competitors to compete within the fullest of their ability that was developed after the incident.

93 BK Racing Toyota, part of a team that fields three other cars that run the full distances.

40 Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevy exited the race claiming engine troubles.

During the two-season (2020-21) pandemic changes where teams did not have practice or qualifying for most races, NASCAR reverted to 40 cars.