Editing NASCAR Xfinity Series (section)

==Cup Series drivers in the Xfinity Series==
{{main|Buschwhacker}}
[[File:KyleBuschToyotaMilwaukeeMile2009.jpg|thumb|2009 Nationwide Series car of Cup Series regular [[Kyle Busch]], who won the Nationwide Series championship that year. Busch has won a total of 102 Xfinity series races in his career, the most of any driver who has competed in the series.]]

Since the early days of the Xfinity Series, many NASCAR Cup Series drivers have used their days off to drive in the NXS. This can be for any number of reasons, most prominent or often claimed is to gain more "seat time", or to familiarize themselves with the track. Examples of this would be [[Dale Earnhardt]], who won the very first NXS race, and [[Kyle Busch]], who has won the most races in NXS history.

In recent years, this practice had been dubbed "Buschwhacking" by its detractors. The colloquialism originated when Anheuser-Busch was the main sponsor of the series by combining the name "Busch" with the term "[[bushwhacker]]," but it has gradually fallen out of use since Anheuser-Busch's sponsorship ended. Other nicknames, such as Claim Jumper (for when Nationwide was the series sponsor), and Signal Pirate (for the current sponsor Xfinity) have never really caught on, although the generic term "Cup leech" is often used after the end of Busch sponsorship.

Critics claim that NASCAR Cup Series drivers racing in the NXS take away opportunities from the NXS regulars, usually younger and less experienced drivers. On the other hand, many fans claim that without the NASCAR Cup Series stars and the large amount of fan interest they attract on their own races, the NXS would be inadequate as a high-tier division. In addition, many NXS drivers have welcomed the Cup drivers because it gives them the opportunity to drive with more seasoned veterans.<ref>[http://speedwaymedia.com/Articles/06/052906Nilson2.asp Speedwaymedia.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105200418/http://speedwaymedia.com/Articles/06/052906Nilson2.asp |date=January 5, 2009 }} "The Dangers of Bushwhacking" Retrieved May 23, 2009</ref>

In 2007, the NASCAR Cup Series began racing with the [[Car of Tomorrow]], a radically new specification different from the NXS. NASCAR Cup Series drivers have admitted that driving the Xfinity car the day before the race does little to help with the NASCAR Cup Series race, as the cars differ greatly. This loosely resulted in the new Nationwide Series car making its debut in the 2010 Subway Jalapeño 250 at Daytona International Speedway. This car has a set-up closer to the current Cup car and some Cup drivers who have tested the car say it has similar handling characteristics. The new car has gone full-time since the 2011 season. In 2007, six out of the top ten drivers in the final point standings were Cup regulars, with [[Jason Leffler]] being the only non-Cup driver in that group to win a race in 2007. This number decreased from 2006 when 8 out of 10 drivers were Cup regulars. The decreased number is attributed to Cup regulars running only partial schedules, allowing for more NXS regulars to reach the top ten in points. However, the champions from 2006 to 2010 were all Cup regulars driving the full series schedule ([[Kevin Harvick]], [[Carl Edwards]], [[Clint Bowyer]], [[Kyle Busch]], and [[Brad Keselowski]]). As a result, beginning with the 2011 season, NASCAR implemented a rule stating that drivers could only compete for the drivers' championship in one of three national series (Cup, Xfinity, and Truck) of the drivers' choosing.

On October 26, 2016, NASCAR announced plans to limit Cup participation in the lower series starting in 2017. Cup drivers who were competing for points in the Cup Series with at least five years of experience in the series would be allowed to compete in up to 10 NXS races, but are banned from racing in the series' regular season finale, Chase, and [[Dash 4 Cash]] races.<ref>{{cite web|last=Menzer|first=Joe|url=http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/nascar-driver-participation-rules-change-xfinity-series-camping-world-truck-series-chase-sprint-cup-limit-102616|title=NASCAR to limit Premier Series driver participation in lower series|work=[[Foxsports.com]]|date=October 26, 2016|access-date=October 26, 2016}}</ref>