by Joe Beasley

Created on: February 17, 2009

To Nascar teams not in the top 35 in owner points, qualifying is the single most important event that takes place on any given race weekend. Nascar rules state that the top 35 in owner points are guaranteed a spot in that weekends race. With that in mind, qualifying is essentially two races in one. For those in the top 35, they are simply trying to get the car into a good starting position. For the drivers and teams on the outside of the top 35 and looking in, they are giving everything they have as a race team to simply make the race.

For each race weekend, teams show up to the track and have 2 practices prior to qualifying. Drivers in the top 35 go first, followed by the "go or go home" cars. This was done 2 years ago by Nascar to ensure the drivers not guaranteed to be in the event qualify together under the same weather and track conditions. Each driver runs 2 consecutive laps on the track. The first lap may be a throwaway lap to get up to speed at a restrictor plate track, or it may be the "money" lap at tracks like Atlanta or Darlington, where tires wear off very quickly. The drivers are ranked by the speed of their fastest lap, and they start in that order. The fastest qualifier starting 1st and winning the Coors Pole award.

The 8 fastest qualifiers of the cars not in the top 35 make the race and start in the position they qualify. The final spot is reserved for the most recent former Nascar Champion who did not make the race. If there is not a former champion trying to make the field, then the 9th fastest qualifier of the "go or go home" cars makes the race in the position that he or she qualified in.

Qualifying setups are sometimes different from racing setups because the driver only intends to run 2 laps as apposed to an entire race. This results in more tape being on the front of the car which heats the car up faster and provides more down-force in the turns. The tire pressure is also adjusted so that the tires are at their ideal pressures much quicker than in a race.

For single car teams and small operations, simply making the field for a Nascar race is a dream come true. The payday for simply starting a race can many times provide the team with enough money to attend the next weeks action. On the other hand, missing a race is devastating to a team trying to get into the top 35 in points, as not racing in an event means no points for that team. Furthermore, the difference between racing on Sunday and watching from home is often as close as 1/1000 of a second.

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