NASCAR announces knockout qualifying for its top series

AVONDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 10: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford, and Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 10, 2013 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

 

AVONDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 10:  Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford, and Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 10, 2013 in Avondale, Arizona.  (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 10: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford, and Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 10, 2013 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

NASCAR announced qualifying changes Wednesday for its top three touring series starting this season.

NASCAR will use knockout style qualifying similar to that used in Formula 1.  For tracks, one and a quarter mile or longer, all cars will go out for 25 minutes; the top 24 cars according to their best lap will then go out for 10 minutes.  The top 12 of those cars will then go out for a five-minute shootout to determine the top 12 starting lineup including the pole.  For tracks less than a mile and a quarter, all cars will go out for 30 minutes, then the top 12 will go out for 10 minutes.

In short qualifying will now consist of three rounds at the larger tracks MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.