Most race fans don't think about how NASCAR qualifying works until their favorite driver fails to qualify in a race, or two, or three.

Qualifying starts with a drawing, usually on the morning of the race. Each team sends one member to the drawing to determine the order of the qualifying runs. The team with the highest car owner points draws the first number. (The owner points from the previous year are used for the first five races.) The rest of the teams draw in descending order based on owner points. Since the owner gains points when the car shows up for qualification, the owner may have more points than the driver if the driver fails to qualify for a race.

The track conditions may change during the day. If the track cools down in the late afternoon, a higher number will be better because the speeds will increase.

Qualifying laps are driven by one car at a time. The cars start from pit road and take one lap to get up to speed. They run two laps with the fastest lap determining the qualifying time. If there is a tie in the qualifying laps, the team with the highest owner points gets the highest spot.

Drivers use different strategies for different tracks. In restrictor plate races, the first lap is used to bring the car up to speed while the second lap is run for maximum speed. On rough tracks, drivers may run only one lap, if they are satisfied with the speed. It may not be worth possible damage to the car to try to run the second lap.

Qualifying numbers are usually reported in miles per hour. However, time is the official measurement.

The top 35 cars (based on car owner points) are racing for starting position. These cars are guaranteed a spot in the race. The next seven positions are filled by the fastest cars not in the top 35. One position is reserved for any former NASCAR champion that didn't qualify to run the race by points or qualifying time. If there isn't a former champion needing the spot, it goes to the 8th fastest qualifying driver without the point guarantee.

Starting position is determined by the lap times of these 43 cars. The fastest car starts from the pole position.

Qualification for the Daytona 500 is a completely different process. The qualifications start on Sunday and follow the normal procedures until each driver runs two qualifying laps. The two fastest drivers will start the 500 in the front row.

On Thursday, the drivers that qualified in odd numbered spots run a 150 mile race. This race determines the starting positions for the inside row. The even numbered qualifiers race for 150 miles to determine the outside row.

The Daytona 500 follows the same rules that guarantee the top 35 owner point cars a spot in the race as well as reserving a place for previous Nextel Cup champions.

NASCAR qualifying procedures can be complex, but they are very important in determining which drivers will participate in the race as well as their starting position.

Learn more about this author, Lynn Jordan.
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