NASCAR announces new qualifying procedure, no more single qualifying

NASCAR is looking for ways to help improve the racing product to make it more exciting for the fans. One of the moves in that process happened today.

NASCAR officially announced a brand new group qualifying format that they are implementing for the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series.

Basically, NASCAR is borrowing the knock-out qualifying format that other divisions use…

On tracks that are 1.25 miles or longer, the full field – whether 43 or 46 cars – will run 25 minutes. The fastest 24 move up to the next round, while positions 25-35 are set on those run speeds and 36-43 are set on the provisional system used in season’s past.

The top 24 drivers will have their speeds reset and run 10 minutes, with the fastest 12 moving forward. Positions 13th to 24th are set by the speeds in that session.

The last session – top 12 – will have their speed reset and run five minutes with the driver running the fastest lap of that session winning the pole. 

For tracks that 1.25 miles or smaller, the full field runs 30 till the top 12 fastest advance to the top 12, with the top 12 running for 10 minutes.

If multiple cars finish with the same lap time and speed then the positions would be determined by owner’s points.

If there’s an incident on track, the red flag will be displayed and the clock will be frozen.

There will be a five minute break between sessions for adjustments. Teams can make wedge,tire pressure,track bar, and tape adjustments between each qualifying round, but can only use one set of tires for the entire qualifying session and are not allowed to jack up the car or raise the hood between sessions.

Random draw will determine the order of cars on pit road as they roll out for the first round of qualifying.

If weather halts qualifying starting positions will be based off the last completed qualifying session.

Daytona 500 qualifying,Eldora Truck qualifying, and qualifying for the two non points races however will remain unchanged.

This new format is supposed to re-energize qualifying and get more fans to watch, while taking less time than the single-car format.

About the Author

Ashley McCubbin

Joining OnPitRoad.com mid-2013 season, Ashley McCubbin is now the Managing Editor and contributes to each racing division as needed. Since studying journalism at the University of Guelph-Humber, Ashley has published articles on a couple of different websites, while serving as a public relations representative for different short track teams. Born in North York, Ontario, Ashley currently lives in Bradford, Ontario and spends her weekend at the local short tracks in the area. She has spent her entire life at the short track level, falling in love with the sport at the age of five. Beyond her love of short track racing, she also has grown an interest for both NASCAR and the IndyCar Racing Series. She also enjoys taking photos and working on websites, while playing a couple rounds of Candy Crush afterwards.

View All Posts