NASCAR QUALIFYING PROCEDURE CHANGE

In a change in qualifying procedure, cars required to qualify on speed in NASCAR’s top three divisions—designated by blue squares on NASCAR’s timing and scoring monitors—no longer will make their individual qualifying runs as a group at the end of a time-trial session, NASCAR confirmed Friday.

The change goes into effect immediately in the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. The Sprint Cup Series will implement the new procedure next weekend at Pocono.

Under the new format, the go-or-go-home cars will be interspersed with cars from the top 35 in owner points that are guaranteed starting spots. Qualifying order will be set by speeds established in the first practice session, with slowest going out first and fastest qualifying last.

That represents a radical change from a system under which cars required to qualify on speed—typically some of the slowest cars in the field—nevertheless made their runs as a group at the end of the session.

NASCAR felt the change was appropriate, given that qualifying order is being set by practice speeds this year, not by lot, as in previous seasons.

“Since we’ve taken the randomness out of qualifying, everyone’s destiny is in their own hands,” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said. “Initially we separated the groups, because it really didn’t feel good that you had the chance to draw second or the chance to draw 43rd, for example.

“And that’s a lot of time differential (because of changing track conditions). Now that we’re creating that qualifying order by practice speeds, there is no randomness. It’s up to you where you qualify. From a flow (standpoint), it will make qualifying go easier. Now, it’s like you start it and stop it and start it and stop it. Now we will have a nice continuous flow of cars.”