New Dash 4 Cash format adds excitement

Full-time Nationwide Series drivers have a lot on line in Friday night’s Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona.

In addition to championship points and a trophy, drivers eligible for the Nationwide championship will be attempting to qualify for the first Dash 4 Cash race, which takes place the following weekend at New Hampshire.

In Friday’s race, the top four finishers who have elected to run for the Nationwide title will race for $100,000 in the July 14 F.W. Webb 200 at New Hampshire. The Dash 4 Cash winner at Loudon will join the next three finishers among Nationwide regulars in competing for a $100,000 bonus in the July 22 STP 300 at Chicagoland.

That format will continue through for four straight races, through the July 28 Indy 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Aug. 4 U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway. If one eligible driver wins the first three Dash 4 Cash awards and wins the race at Iowa, Nationwide will kick in an extra $600,000, bringing the total one driver could win to $1 million.

According to Austin Dillon, second in the Nationwide standings, holding the qualifier at a restrictor-plate superspeedway brings a lot of drivers into the mix.

“This is a crazy place to start it for a qualifier, because I think it opens a lot of doors for people to get in there and have a shot at that big money coming to New Hampshire,” Dillon said. “Any time there’s big money on the table, crazy things happen, so it’ll be exciting come New Hampshire.”