DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR has announced a temporary change to the field sizes for select NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series events.

The fields for both divisions will be expanded to a maximum of 40 entries. The Xfinity Series field is typically capped at 36 while the Truck Series maxes out at 32 for a race. The change is in place for events scheduled without qualifying as the sanctioning body attempts to return to racing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This move is critical for the long-term health of the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series,” Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition, told NASCAR.com. “There are many new full-time and part-time team owners who have made significant commitments to our sport and secured sponsorship to participate this season. NASCAR wants to enable these teams to fulfill their commitments and grow their businesses without being affected by circumstances out of their control.”

NASCAR events have been on hold since mid-March as the result of the COVID-19 viral outbreak. The NASCAR Cup Series is returning to competition May 17 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, with the NASCAR Xfinity Series slated to return to action on May 19 at Darlington. The Truck Series gets back underway on May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.