Before drivers can race, they need to qualify. While qualifying has generally been a pretty straightforward affair throughout history, some rules complicate how NASCAR sets its lineup for races. Here is a look at how qualifying for a NASCAR race works.
A NASCAR qualifying session will vary slightly between different track types, and there are three different procedures. There’s superspeedway qualifying, speedway/short oval qualifying, and road course qualifying. We will break down all three.
Speedway/Short Oval Qualifying
For the vast majority of race tracks, including speedway ovals and short ovals, qualifying includes two groups and two rounds. In round 1, Group A goes first, and each driver is sent out in order to set a fast time with Group B to follow. For ovals more than 1.0 miles in length, each driver gets one timed lap, and for ovals 1.0 miles in length or less, drivers get two laps, with the fastest lap being their qualifying time.
After round 1, the top 5 drivers in Group A and Group B move on to the 2nd round to determine the pole winner. Every other driver locks in their starting spot for the race on Sunday. For 2024, in the Cup Series at least, Group A will determine the outside row and Group B the inside for positions 11th on the back. It’s unclear whether this rule will either transfer to Xfinity or Trucks or they will line Group A and B up based on qualifying speeds regardless of group.
In Round 2, the 5 fastest drivers of Group A and the 5 fastest drivers of Group B go out to set another fastest lap, just like in Round 1. The driver’s fastest laps are compiled, and that sets Positions 1-10. The fastest driver in Round 2 wins the pole position.
Superspeedways
For drafting-style superspeedways at Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta, Qualifying is still two rounds, but groups are eliminated. Each driver is sent out for one timed lap, and the 10 fastest move on to Round 2. The other drivers fill out the other starting positions from 11th on back.
Just like on speedway ovals, Round 2 features the top 10 from Round 1, and each sets one timed lap. Each driver’s lap is ranked from 1st to 10th, and the fastest driver wins the pole.
The Daytona 500 is slightly different in its procedure. It has a qualifying session that functions just like a normal qualifying session, but, only the top two have their starting spots locked in. The rest of the field gets their starting spots determined by 150-mile, 60-lap Duel races held on the Thursday night before the Daytona 500.
Road Courses
Road Course qualifying functions similarly to speedway oval and short oval qualifying except the session is timed. Instead of each driver being sent out one at a time to set a fast lap, each group gets a 15-minute session to go out and set a fast lap running as many laps as they want to. The fastest lap a driver sets at any time during the session is their qualifying time.
The top 5 in each group move on, and the rest fill out the rest of the field with Group A on the outside and Group B on the inside just like speedways and short ovals. The 2nd Round lasts 10 minutes, and each driver’s fastest lap is their time. Each driver is ranked 1st-10th with the fastest winning the pole.
Now that we know how each session works, let’s talk about how NASCAR decides who does and does not make the field for a race. It’s not as simple as the fastest cars in qualifying make the race.
Cup Series
In the NASCAR Cup Series, all 36 chartered teams are guaranteed a starting spot in every regular season race regardless of qualifying speed. If a race team enters the race without a charter, they are considered an “Open” team without a guaranteed starting spot. A full Cup Series field is 40 cars, so, a maximum of 4 Open entries can make the race.
For most races, the 4 fastest Open cars make the field while the slowest go home without racing. However, it is very rare for a Cup Series race to send drivers home. Only 12 races had any open entrants in 2023, and the Daytona 500 was the only race with more than 40 entrants.
The Daytona 500 has a slightly different procedure. For the 4 open cars, two spots are available for the top Open cars in each duel race, and the last two spots are for the two fastest not already qualified cars on pole day. The other drivers go home.
Xfinity Series
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the procedure is slightly different. Field sizes are 38 cars instead of 40 in the Cup Series. This series typically sends cars home in almost every race. Every race in 2023 had a full field of 38 cars.
While NASCAR does not release its’ rulebook to the public, we do have Reddit user @iamaranger23 to thank for putting out these procedures for determining the field. For everything including the Xfinity and Truck Series, that comes from him.
For the Xfinity Series, positions 1-33 are determined by qualifying speed. Positions 34-37 are determined by the top-4 in Owner’s Points not already in the field (For the first few races of the seasons, they refer to the previous season’s Owner’s Points). The last spot is reserved for the most recent past Champion. If there is no past Champion not already qualified, then it goes to the highest car still remaining in Owner’s points.
This is why you will often see Xfinity Series teams swapping Owner’s Points with defunct race teams in the offseason. The higher a team is in the Owner’s points, the more likely it is they will make the field. The past Champions provisional also makes past Series Champions great candidates for rides.
Truck Series
Truck Series qualifying functions very similar to Xfinity Series qualifying, but, fields are reduced to 36 teams. This is an increase from previous years where the Truck Series previously had a 32-car cap. A total of 20 out of 23 races had a full field in 2023.
Just like the Xfinity Series, the final 5 spots are provisionals determined by Owner’s Points. The top 31 cars are determined by the fastest qualifying speeds, and positions 32-36 are determined by the highest not already qualified drivers in Owner’s Points.
Just like the Xfinity Series, Owner’s Points are often swapped from defunct teams to current teams in the offseason. This is to give teams a better chance of qualifying for races.
While NASCAR will often reschedule or delay races if it rains, they cannot do the same for qualifying. If it rains before or during a qualifying session that usually means the session is cancelled altogether, and the field is set by the NASCAR rulebook.
For the Cup Series, NASCAR uses metrics to determine the field. That metric is as follows according to NASCAR.com, 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s previous race finish position, 25% of the owner’s previous race finish position, and 35% of the owner points position.
For the Xfinity and Truck Series, it’s a bit different. NASCAR uses a hierarchy to determine the field, using the Owner’s Points to determine the vast majority of the field, then filling out the rest with different qualifiers including practice speeds, recent race winners (Both Owner and Driver), past Champions, and even going deeper into Owner’s Points if they have to. It can get a bit confusing to follow, so, it’s usually best to just let the cycle fill you in on who makes the race in this scenario.
This is how NASCAR qualifying works in a nutshell. Be sure to tune in every weekend as qualifying determines the field for a NASCAR race.
Joe Gibbs Racing has added to its lawsuit filed against former Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart, filing to add Spire as a co-defendant, and to prevent Gabehart from continuing his work at Spire.
JGR initiated this lawsuit on February 19, alleging Gabehart, a long-time Crew Chief, most recently for Denny Hamlin, and the team’s now former Competition Director, “embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.”
That direct competitor, Spire Motorsports, which currently employs Gabehart as their Chief Motorsports Officer, is now a co-defendant in this lawsuit, via an amended complaint filed Tuesday.
Per the latest filing from JGR, which employed Gabehart as Competition Director last season, is asking the court for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction with seven key requests.
Key to these requests is that Gabehardt cease providing Spire with “services for Spire similar to those he provided to JGR” for 18 months following his February 9 formal termination from JGR.
JGR also requested that Spire stop accepting Gabehart’s work as per the noncompete obligation of his termination.
The filing also has several requests regarding the team information Gabehart allegedly retained from JGR.
These include Gabehart returning this information alongside the devices that store this information and “cease and desist from retaining, transferring, using or copying any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets.”
From JGR’s filing:
c. Gabehart immediately cease and desist from retaining, transferring, using or copying any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets
d. Gabehart return any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets in his possession to JGR;
e. Gabehart transfer to the custody of JGR’s counsel any device used to store the Confidential Information and Trade Secrets and, through an agreed upon Court ordered process, allow the forensic preservation and review of these devices for identification of Confidential Information and Trade Secrets, the return of any identified Confidential Information and Trade Secrets to JGR, and the removal of any identified Confidential Information and Trade Secrets from the devices;
f. Gabehart cease and desist from using or disclosing JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets to third parties;
As of press time, Gabehart has commented on the lawsuit in a post to X on February 20, where he claimed a third-party investigator “examined my laptop, cell phone and personal Google Drive and found no evidence to support the baseless allegations in JGR’s lawsuit.”
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he took confidential team information…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
The NASCAR rumor mill is heating up as a new rumor suggests that a former series champion and an active NASCAR Cup Series driver could be in line to drive for Legacy Motor Club in 2027.
What’s Happening? NASCAR drivers, much like any athletes, have a period of free agency and multi-million dollar contracts. Based on information…
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is well underway, while teams and drivers are still settling into their new lineups and seats, others are already prepping for next season.
Most expect the 2027 NASCAR Silly Season to be one of the wildest in years, with many major names on contract seasons, and top seats looking for new drivers.
One story that will likely carry through the 2026 season, and into the offseason, is Legacy Motor Club, which is expanding to three full-time cars in 2027 via the acquisition of a charter from Rick Ware Racing, which is currently leased to RFK Racing for their No. 60 entry.
While many storylines could stem from this transaction, one that is already playing out is LMC’s driver search, as the team looks to add a new face to their roster alongside drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones.
Though we are nearly a year away from what would be the first race for this third car, per recent rumors, a few names are already emerging as top candidates.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Hall of Famer and Seven-Time Champion Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club is suing Rick Ware Racing over a…
Monday afternoon, a post from a well-known NASCAR rumor account made the rounds on social media, naming two drivers as possible options for LMC.
In their post, the user claimed that 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst and Richard Childress Racing prospect Jesse Love were “early contenders” for the ride.
Of course, this is just a rumor, and even if they are possible candidates, things can change. However, both of these options come with their own storylines and questions.
The first thing that likely comes to mind when hearing this rumor is that both of these drivers would have to depart their current spots, something that most have suspected will happen by next season.
For Herbst, he is facing the impending promotion of top NASCAR prospect Corey Heim to full-time competition.
This year, Heim, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, is racing part-time with 23XI Racing, with almost every rumor and blurb suggesting next year will be his first full-time season in NASCAR’s highest level.
While 2026 Daytona 500 Champion Tyler Reddick is reportedly on a contract season, most see Herbst as the clear weak link at 23XI, though, in the somewhat unlikely event Reddick were to jump ship, there could be a world where a spot opens for Heim without affecting Herbst.
Regarding Love, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion is in his third full-time year with RCR in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and, for some time now, has been rumored to be looking for a promotion, beyond his part-time Cup Series schedule.
This is not the first time Love and LMC have been tied together in the rumor mill, as in June 2025, when LMC was in the midst of a lawsuit to get their third charter by this season (something that never came to be), a report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports suggested there could be interest in Love as that third driver at LMC.
As of right now, Love has yet to score a full-time Cup Series ride. But there is a chance a slot opens in-house as RCR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch is on a contract year, a situation that could leave Love with a difficult decision between staying in a familiar spot or returning ot the Toyota camp.
But the biggest decision could come down to RCR, which, in the event Busch excels this year, could face deciding between a NASCAR legend and keeping their best prospect in some time.
Nonetheless, all of this is hypothetical, as the gears are just now turning on what could be a NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season for the ages.
What’s Happening? Some recent developments in NASCAR Silly Season rumors and reports have some NASCAR fans wondering if Spire Motorsports could…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Denny Hamlin fires off on Carson Hocevar, Sheldon Creed finally gets his long-awaited breakthrough, and 13-year-old Keelan Harvick makes a massive career move. From sharp words on a podcast to a feel-good victory and a headline-grabbing development deal, this episode covers three very different stories that could all have long-term ripple effects.
There’s controversy, redemption, and a glimpse at the next generation all wrapped into one packed show. Some reputations are being tested, others are being rebuilt, and one young driver may have just taken the first major step toward the Cup Series.
Watch Also
