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work, some say it discriminates against smaller teams with less funds, and drivers that just run their own single team and have to scramble for sponsors every week.

In essence, the seven people placed below 35th in the rankings compete against each other in the qualifying runs, as well as the clock. What about the final spot? That is the champion's provisional. If a prior champion fails to qualify on time, he gets in on a championship provisional and gets the 43rd spot, even if he is not part of the field of 35th in the rankings.

If this sounds confusing, here is a theoretical (albeit far-fetched) example: If Richard Petty decided he wanted to start a race, he would still have to run a qualifying lap, but even if he placed dead last (and obviously he is retired and no longer has any current ranking) he would still be allowed to participate because he is a former champion.

If no former champion below rank 35 is participating in the race and hence needs to use the champion provisional, that eighth spot goes to the eighth fastest qualifier from the drivers ranked below 35 (also known as provisionals).

After reading all this, why would the first 35 even bother to try hard for a better starting spot? Because, not only does the driver that starts first get a pole award and entered for the Bud shootout the following season, each driver also gets to select their pit stall in order of how they qualified. With tight spaces on pit road, this can make a difference for the actual race as well.

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