What was old is new again.
On Tuesday via its Facebook page, NASCAR announced the format for the 2018 Dash 4 Cash in the Xfinity Series, which is similar to the original format that debuted in 2009.
The four-event program will include races at Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Talladega SuperSpeedway and Dover International Speedway in four consecutive weeks, but it actually kicks off this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway during the My Bariatrics Solutions 300. The top four finishers among full-time Xfinity drivers from that race will have an opportunity to win a $100,000 bonus at Bristol.
The bonus will be awarded to the highest finishing qualified driver at Bristol.
The winner of the Bristol Dash 4 Cash, along with the next three highest finishing Xfinity regulars, will have another chance to win a $100,000 bonus at Richmond. The format will continue through the Dover event. This will mark the first time a Dash 4 Cash race has been run at Talladega.
Last year, Justin Allgaier won two $100,000 bonuses. Daniel Hemric and William Byron each won the bonus once apiece.
There is an added twist in 2018. Comcast will donate $40,000 to local organizations as part of their Internet Essentials program that benefits low-income households and helps them get connected to the Web.
“(The Dash 4 Cash) always adds a different element,” Hemric said during the announcement on Facebook. “The feel in the garage and everything that goes into a Dash 4 Cash weekend just amps everything up. We like to tell each other we’re not thinking about it, but it’s in the back of all of our minds and it … adds excitement for everybody involved.”
NASCAR updated its Xfinity Rule Book for the Dash 4 Cash program. NASCAR removed language in the Rule Book that a driver who wins two Dash 4 Cash bonuses will earn a spot in the playoffs if there are fewer than 12 winners.
NASCAR also notes that Cup drivers are not eligible to compete in the Dash 4 Cash races.