Dash 4 Cash

The Dash 4 Cash is a series of races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Since its inception in 2009, the program has undergone many changes, most notably the addition of heat races in 2016.^[1]

2009–10: Inception

In order to drum up interest in its second-tier series, NASCAR made the Dash 4 Cash before the 2009 season. The original format included four races where all series regulars not competing in the Sprint Cup Series full-time could compete to win a $25,000 bonus on top of their race winnings if they won. If a Sprint Cup regular won, the money went to the next Dash 4 Cash race until an eligible driver won. The original four tracks were Nashville Superspeedway, Memphis Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway, and Kentucky Speedway.^[2]

2011–15: First overhaul

The first major changes were made in 2011, when the bonus purse was increased to $100,000. Another major change was that only the top four drivers in point eligible drivers in the previous race could be eligible for the next race, with the exception of the first race at Daytona International Speedway, for which the field was set by the top four drivers in Nationwide Series points after the Road America race. After the Daytona race, races at Iowa Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, and the final race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. If any driver won all four races, Nationwide would give that driver an extra $600,000, totalling the bonuses at $1,000,000.^[3] The program received only minor changes over the next four years, like track changes.^[4] The program also expanded to include a parallel fan experience, with fans getting paired with eligible drivers. The fan paired with the driver who won the prize at that race (it changed each year) won a matching $100,000.^[5] When Xfinity took over as title sponsor in 2015, the schedule became more spread out, beginning earlier and ending later.^[6] Regan Smith created hype in 2015 when he won the first race at Charlotte, sparking speculation that he could win the $1 million bonus since the final race was at Darlington Raceway, where Smith's only Sprint Cup win took place.^[7] However, Smith did not win the million dollars.

2016: Second overhaul

Before the 2016 season, NASCAR announced sweeping changes for the program, including adding heat races to determine qualifiers. The top two series points eligible drivers from each of the two heats would compete for the bonus.^[8][9] Erik Jones won the first race under the new format.^[10]

References