New qualifying rules announced

On tracks that are 1.25 miles and bigger:

-The full field will run 25 minutes and then will cut down to the top 24 fastest laps of the session....

-The top 24 will run for another 10 minutes and will cut down to the fastest 12 laps.

-The top 12 will run for 5 minutes with the driver running the fastest lap of that session winning the pole.

On tracks 1.25 miles and smaller:

- The full field will run for 30 minutes with the top 12 fastest laps of the session advancing to the top 12.

- The top 12 then will run for 10 minutes with the driver running the fastest lap of the session winning the pole.

Daytona 500 qualifying however will remain unchanged.
 
Meh.

Just keep it on the road courses with the groups. I'm expecting a lot more backup cars in the future... Had to copy F1s' quali system.
 
nascarqrules.png
 
So to me this looks like q speeds will probably be down everywhere but Talladega.. can't run for a half hour with the q setups they would have used in previous years no?
 
Two things. One, looks like teammates could do some drafting at the plate tracks to get those better times. Two, tracks that eat up tires like Atlanta and Darlington will see a lot of drivers lay down a good lap early and then park the rest of the session. There's nothing to gain trying to get a better time on worn tires on a track that eats them up.
 
I like the idea but we don't have 43 competitve cars. People will be getting lapped, held up while taking a lap so basically the smart move is only to do one lap or two and call it. That will lead to actually a less exciting qualifying session.

Should have just done heat races. Now that's fun. Imagine Jimmie Johnson starting 10th in a heat race and having to finish second in five laps.
 
Not a very good method of keeping costs down at all. It'll be interesting to see this play out.

If they were going to have multiple cars on the track they should have just brought the group method they used on rc's to ovals. Durh....
 
To be honest, even though I watched q'ing devotedly, at times it was tedious and boring ---- particularly at the road courses and Talladega.

If nothing else, this will make it interesting. I'm willing to give it a chance before condemning.

I am going to take a wait and see approach as well.
 
NASCAR has changed its qualifying format for 2014, switching to a group qualifying process that will put drivers on the track at the same time and closer emulate an actual race.

Each driver entered in the race will be on the track during the opening qualifying session, with NASCAR eventually cutting the group to the 12 fastest drivers who will determine who wins the pole. The 12 drivers in the final group will start 1-12 in the race.


NASCAR previously determined its starting lineup by having each driver run two qualifying laps with one car on the track at a time. NASCAR will now qualify in groups in all national touring races with the exception of the Daytona 500 and the Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway. The new qualifying procedures will take approximately 50 minutes, fitting nicely into a one-hour television window.

NASCAR will employ two different qualifying systems; a three-session format for tracks at least 1.25 miles in length and a two-session format for those shorter than 1.25 miles.

For tracks at least 1.25 miles in length, the first session will include all cars for 25 minutes. The 24 cars that post the fastest single lap (among all their laps) will advance to the next round. The second round will be 10 minutes, with the 12 fastest single-lap drivers advancing to a final five-minute round. The drivers who do not make the final round will start in positions 13-24 in the race.

There will be a five-minute break between each qualifying round.

For tracks less than 1.25 miles in length, there will be two sessions — a first session of 30 minutes with the top 12 advancing to a 10-minute final round to determine the pole. There will be a 10-minute break between the qualifying rounds.

“We believe the timing is right for a new qualifying format across our three national series,” NASCAR Vice President for Competition Robin Pemberton said. “This style of group qualifying has all the makings of being highly competitive and more engaging to our fans in the stands and those watching on television and online.

"For the drivers and teams, we believe this new qualifying will fuel even greater competition leading into the events. Additionally, it provides our tracks, broadcasters and other key partners with a greater opportunity to develop more entertaining content for our race weekends.”

The new format quickly met the approval of top Sprint Cup drivers:

The first session will determine starting spots through the 36th position. The final seven spots will continue to be determined by provisionals based on owners points, with one past champion’s provisional available.

Among the rules for the qualifying sessions:

• Prior to the first session, cars will be lined up on pit road based on random draw and will enter the track in that order. For the other rounds, it will be based on speeds in the previous round.

• The official time in each session is considered a driver’s “fastest time,” which will mean that a driver could be faster in the opening session but then have a slower speed in the second or final session. It could mean that the “pole speed” — the fastest in the final session — is actually slower than other speeds in the field as teams are limited to one set of tires for the entire session.

• Teams can come down pit road during a session and then go back out, but they can only adjust the car during breaks. Teams can make wedge, track bar, tire pressure and tape adjustments and also plug in oil on pit road. A team cannot jack up the vehicle or raise the hood.

• If there is an accident, the session will be red-flagged and the time that the track is under red will not count toward the length of the session.

• If it rains during qualifying, the last completed session will determine the starting order. If qualifying is rained out, the field will be determined by the rulebook, with starting order set by practice speeds.

• If two drivers post the same speed, owner points will determine their starting position.
 
I like it. There will certainly be more chance for controversy with other cars out there. It'll add some excitement with cars pitting in the last minutes for new tires to try to put in a faster lap as time winds down.
 
I like it. There will certainly be more chance for controversy with other cars out there. It'll add some excitement with cars pitting in the last minutes for new tires to try to put in a faster lap as time winds down.
they have to run only one set..wonder what happens if they cut a tire? start at the back I guess.
 
they have to run only one set..wonder what happens if they cut a tire? start at the back I guess.

That takes some fun out of it. Let teams burn through tires if they want. Just set a limit for the weekend. Some will gamble on starting position and others will save it for the race.
 
quaifying has always been like watching paint dry. especially since they did away with second day qualifying. and the starting lineup has little significance on how a race finished, with the possible exceptions of roadtracks and shorttracks with a backstretch pit.

i am a bit confused in the breakdown of number of cars on track between the short tracks and the speedways. seems to me it would be a bit easier to run a quality lap on a speedway with less traffic than what will occur on a shorttrack.

seems to me there should be three rounds on the short tracks and two on the speedways.

then again, i'm just a fan with an opinion. and everything i typed is my own.
 
Two things. One, looks like teammates could do some drafting at the plate tracks to get those better times. Two, tracks that eat up tires like Atlanta and Darlington will see a lot of drivers lay down a good lap early and then park the rest of the session. There's nothing to gain trying to get a better time on worn tires on a track that eats them up.
Plate qualifying will pretty much never mean anything.

Even for tracks that eat up tires, you'll see cars throughout the entire session, especially in the first round. Teams will be looking to get in clean air so they'll have to spread out their runs. And the other rounds are only 5-10 minutes.
 
This all works in Jimmie's favor...again.

He likes to run consecutive laps as he gets faster with each one. Would not be surprised if he wins like 15 poles per seasons.
 
I will give it a chance before i say anything positive or negative... but, i hope it's better then F1. I have tried my best and i just can't get into F1. So i finally quit wasting my time and gave up...and i don't give up on things very easily.
 
Awesome! Qualifying just became an event! I cannot wait to see the line changes etc. in Fontana as the drivers come to grips with the worn tires. Epic!
 
Meh. Say screw qualifying all together & line them up by points standings. Sure would give them incentive to gain points right?
 
MRM is right in that on the big tracks teammates could help each other by drafting. They can also help by slowing down competitors on the smaller tracks. They are on the right track but all cars on the track at the same time is too many, especially at the small tracks.
 
Plate qualifying will pretty much never mean anything.

Even for tracks that eat up tires, you'll see cars throughout the entire session, especially in the first round. Teams will be looking to get in clean air so they'll have to spread out their runs. And the other rounds are only 5-10 minutes.

It wont be long before associated CC's adjust their drivers practice times to stay with their teammates, and organization and manufacturer groups form and it goes to hell. I would expect 7 of the 8 HMS/SHR cars to dominate the top 10 each and every week.
 
It's about time they did this. Huge improvement. I will now start attending qualifying sessions and so fast forwarding through them in TV. RP qualifying is now going to be tolerable. I feel like we gained an extra race most weeks.
 
Back
Top Bottom