NASCAR modifies Daytona qualifying format for XFINITY, Trucks

2/18/2115

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Why have a five-minute qualifying session if no one is going to use the full five minutes?

That was one of the rationales NASCAR considered in streamlining the time trial process for the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series for events to be held at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

The first round of qualifying for Friday’s Nextera Energy Resources 250 NCWTS race (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1) and Saturday’s Alert Today Florida 300 XFINITY Series race (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1) will feature cars divided into four groups, in numbers as equal as possible based on a random draw.

Smaller groups will ease pit road congestion, which was an issue during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying. The cars will be staged with their left-side tires just outside an assigned pit box, giving each driver an unimpeded exit from pit road.

And once a car begins to roll, it must continue its progress toward the end of pit road. No more starting and stopping. No more backing up.

Each qualifying session will be reduced to 2.5 minutes as opposed to the five minutes used in the Cup series on Sunday. The 24 fastest cars from the four sessions in the first round combined will advance to the second round, which will feature two 2.5-minute sessions with cars divided into even and odd-numbered groups based on speeds in the first round.

The fastest 12 cars advance to the final 2.5-minute round, which will determine the pole winner.

Though the new format applies only to the NCWTS and NXS races at Daytona, NASCAR considers this a trial run for possible modifications to the system for other superspeedway races, and perhaps extending to Sprint Cup.

NASCAR Rule Book addressing Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

NASCAR Rule Book addressing Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

With the first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berth all but locked up following the Daytona 500 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX), NASCAR issued a bulletin on Wednesday that outlined updates for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility.
Updates are highlighted.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

 
 
 

17.6.2.1 ELIGIBILITY

.a  
Drivers and car owners must enter all Championship Events and attempt to Qualify for all Championship Events through the completion of the final Championship Event of the season (EIRI). .a  
Unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR, driver(s) and car owner(s) must start all Championship Events of the current season to be eligible for The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. If a starting position was not earned, then the driver(s) and car owners(s) must have attempted to Qualify for the Race.
.b  
Race finishes must be unencumbered by violation(s) of the NASCAR Rules or other action(s) detrimental to stock car auto racing or NASCAR as determined in the sole discretion of NASCAR.

NASCAR clarifies some rules:

NASCAR clarifies some rules: NASCAR, which announced last month that teams would not be allowed to flare the side skirts, released the penalty for that violation and other unapproved adjustments teams make during a race. Teams who make unapproved adjustments under caution will have to come back in under caution, fix the car, restart at the rear of the field and then do a pass-through on pit road at pit-road speed under green. Teams who make unapproved adjustments under green will have to come in under green and fix the car to NASCAR's satisfaction. If NASCAR identifies a crew member who makes the illegal adjustment, it will issue that person a warning on the first offense and increase the sanctions for additional offenses. The procedure was released Thursday morning in a wide-ranging bulletin issued to teams. NASCAR also put into writing what happens if two drivers tie at the finish of a race, a rarity considering that the combination of NASCAR's timing system and its cameras at the finish line typically allow for NASCAR to determine finishing order. But if NASCAR can't break a tie, the driver who has led the most laps will be awarded the higher finish. If no driver has led a lap, then it would be the driver who has spent the most laps in second. Then if still tied, whoever has run the most laps in third, then fourth, etc.
In another rule clarification, NASCAR put into writing a policy that it could take away a driver's qualifying time if it determines that the driver impacted the qualifying lap of another driver -- such as coming off pit road and cutting in front of a driver already on the track during the group qualifying session.(ESPN)(2-13-2015)