Qualifying
2026 Spring Darlington Qualifying Notes
Your 2026 Spring Darlington qualifying notes focus on how the spread is spreading with the new rules package in effect this race. […]
Qualifying
Daytona 500
Fastest Daytona 500 Qualifying Laps 1982 – 2025
Daytona 500 Qualifying is tonight. Forty-five drivers will compete for 41 spots in this year’s race, but we won’t know who earns those spots, or where all but two cars start today.q […]
Qualifying
NASCAR Changes Qualifying Rules — Again
NASCAR changes qualifying rules for a second time this year. The first change happened at the start of the season. I wrote about it for NBC Sports. Four months later, they made another change. Let’s […]
Qualifying
Why NASCAR Quarantine Qualifying Had To Change
My return to the unique problems posed by quarantine qualifying is in part because Clint Bowyer tweeted that the pseudo-random draw was really messing him up and it wasn’t fair. I wanted to know if […]
Qualifying
Does NASCAR Need Qualifying?
I’ve made the argument that NASCAR needs at least a little practice. But what about qualifying? Does it have a place in post-pandemic NASCAR? The Problem Racing with the coronavirus forced NASCAR to cancel everything […]
Graph of the Day
Phoenix Qualifying Report
Phoenix qualifying gave us our first look at the new short-track package instituted to address shortcomings in 2019 racing in a competitive setting. What does qualifying tell us about the field? The Pole Time 38 […]
Graph of the Day
Qualifying Matters at Las Vegas
Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is a long, arduous process — and makes surprisingly little difference. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway (our first mile-and-a-half track) qualifying makes more of a difference. If you want to […]
Graph of the Day
What Can We Learn from Daytona Qualifying?
Daytona qualifying is not the most exciting qualifying session of the year. Only two cars lock in their position. It’s a single-car one-lap format, but the lack of drafting is one of the few clues […]
Cooling
Does Qualifying Matter at Talladega?
50% of races won at Talladega are won by drivers starting from the first two rows. Can you win if you don’t qualify well? […]
Chicagoland Speedway
How NASCAR’s “Enhanced Schedule” Affects the Race Teams
NASCAR’s enhanced schedule compresses three days on on-track activity into two. It’s designed to save teams time and money, but how will it affect the racing? What is an “Enhanced Schedule”? If you’re wondering why […]