Working out how the NASCAR qualifying system operates in reality can be quite a daunting task. As with many other aspect of the sport unless you really study the system it can be confusing. While theoretically qualifying is determined on the basis of the fastest time gets the highest spot, NASCAR also operates a system of guaranteed and provisional positioning, which can blur the process somewhat.

The guaranteed places, thirty-five in number, are reserved for the teams that turn up to race week after week and is seen as an encouragement for them to maintain that presence. It also guarantees them a start in the race whatever their qualifying time. Then there are a further seven provisional places for those teams whose appearance at meetings is not so consistent. The final (43rd) place is for a previous champion who failed to qualify by any other means, or the eighth fastest provisional car.

The next step of the process takes place before qualifying begins and this is to decide the order that the cars will go out to qualify. At this stage, one member from each team will meet with the officials to draw lots, in the form of numbered balls 1 43. The number they pick denotes what position they are within the qualifying session. Although most would prefer to be on the track later in the day their positioning is up to the luck of the draw.

Following this"lottery" process qualifying takes place and each car is allowed a total of two clear laps to post their fastest possible time. At the end of qualifying the times of the 35 guaranteed starters and the top seven or eight provisional cares are compared and the placing is determined by those times. For example the fastest time, whether from a guarantied or provisional driver takes the number one spot and so on through the field to number 43. In the unlikely event that there is a dead heat on time, the car with the highest owner points will take the higher position.

Sounds straightforward? Maybe, but there are two other issues that impact upon this process. The first of these is the criteria for the guaranteed positions. For the first five races of any season these are determined from the previous years records. For the rest of that season they are determined from the teams' performances in the current season. As if this is not complicated enough, there is one exception to all of the above rules, and that is the qualifying routine for the Daytona 500.

Qualifying for this race is nothing like the others and starts almost a week prior to the race, although it still has some semblance of the standard qualifying in that 35 are guaranteed places in the race. However, the qualifying session begin on the Sunday before the race. The two drivers with the best times from this session will take their places on the first row of the 500-starting grid.

Then, on the Thursday before the race, the remaining qualifiers will take part in one of two 150-mile further qualifying races. The odd numbers from the previous weekends qualifying session will be competing for their starting position in the inside lane of the 500 and the even numbered qualifiers will be competing for their start position in the outside lane.

While this may all seem a trifle complex to some, it is part of the system that makes NASCAR racing such an exciting and exhilarating spectator sport.

Learn more about this author, Paul Lines.
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