NASCAR has decided that 2025 is the year of change—again. On Thursday, they unveiled new practice and qualifying procedures for their three national series. The gist? More time on track and fewer brain-bending rules about who starts where. In other words, they’ve gone from calculus to basic arithmetic.
But wait, there’s more. The announcement came just in time for the release of the 2025 race weekend schedules, including the big kahuna: Daytona 500 week. The Daytona hype kicks off with a 50-minute practice session on Wednesday, Feb. 12, for drivers to figure out how not to crash in Turn 4 before the race on Sunday, Feb. 16.
Now, let’s talk changes, because that’s why you’re here. First, group practice gets a whopping five-minute extension. Yes, a whole five minutes—just enough time to do one more lap or complain about the setup. Qualifying, meanwhile, goes back to being simple: fastest car wins pole, period. The days of sorting drivers like you’re picking seats at a wedding are over. Well, mostly. Superspeedways will still have their fancy “final round” for the top 10, because drama.
Short tracks get a twist: two laps, best one counts. Road courses? Group qualifying, 20 minutes, all chaos, all the time. And the big twist? Broadcast rights. Practice and qualifying for the Cup Series will be on Prime Video early in the season, then TNT Sports via Max and TruTV later. Yes, TruTV—the channel you watch for basketball memes and courtroom dramas. FOX, of course, hangs onto its crown jewels: The Clash, the Daytona 500, and the All-Star Race.
The Xfinity Series is headed to The CW, because why not? Maybe the broadcast will cut to a vampire drama during red flags. And the Truck Series? FOX Sports has that covered.
According to Cup Series director Brad Moran, these changes were born from a “collaboration” between NASCAR, teams, and their shiny new TV partners. Apparently, the goal is to inch back toward pre-pandemic schedules without going full 2019. Think of it like getting half your fries back after someone stole them.
“It’s going to be welcomed by the industry,” Moran told NASCAR.com Well, of course it will be—more track time means more data for teams, more entertainment for fans, and more chances for drivers to figure out what on Earth their engineers are talking about.
So there you have it: NASCAR’s 2025 game plan. More laps, fewer headaches, and the ever-growing battle of “Where do I stream this now?” Let’s just hope the drivers spend less time learning new rules and more time figuring out how to win. Or at least survive Turn 4.
If you are really bored, here’s a detailed look at practice and qualifying procedures for each series, listed by track type:
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Standard P&Q
- 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
- Groups and qualifying order are determined by metrics (70% based on previous race finish by owner; 30% based on owner points position. The best scoring cars in metrics will be placed in Group 2.)
- Qualifying will be one lap, one round
- Tracks: Las Vegas 1-2, Phoenix-1, Miami, Darlington 1-2, Texas, Kansas 1-2, Charlotte, Nashville, Michigan, Pocono, WWTR, New Hampshire
Short Track P&Q
- 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
- Qualifying will be two laps, one round
- Tracks: Martinsville 1-2, Bristol 1-2, Dover, Iowa, Richmond
Superspeedway Qualifying
- Qualifying will be one lap, two rounds
- Fastest 10 cars in first round advance to final round
- Starting positions 1-10 will be based on fastest qualifying time in final round; remainder of field will start based on qualifying results in first round.
- Tracks: Atlanta 1-2, Talladega 1-2, Daytona-2
Road Course P&Q
- 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
- 20-minute qualifying for Group 1, multi cars on track; 20-minute qualifying for Group 2, multi cars on track
- One round of qualifying
- Tracks: Chicago Street Race, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Charlotte Roval
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Standard P&Q
- 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
- Qualifying will be one lap, one round.
- Tracks: Phoenix-1, Las Vegas 1-2, Miami, Darlington, Texas, Kansas, Charlotte, Nashville, Pocono
Short Track P&Q
- 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
- Qualifying will be two laps, one round.
- Tracks: Martinsville 1-2, Bristol 1-2, Dover, Iowa
Superspeedway Qualifying
- Qualifying will be one lap, two rounds
- Fastest 10 cars in first round advance to final round
- Starting positions 1-10 will be based on finish in final round; remainder of field will start based on qualifying results in first round.
- Tracks: Atlanta 1-2, Talladega 1-2, Daytona-2
Road Course P&Q
- 50-minute practice for all cars
- 20-minute qualifying for Group 1, multi cars on track; 20-minute qualifying for Group 2, multi cars on track
- One round of qualifying
- Tracks: COTA, Chicago Street Race, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Portland, Charlotte Roval
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Standard P&Q
- 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
- Qualifying will be one lap, one round.
- Tracks: Las Vegas, Miami, Texas, Kansas, Charlotte, Nashville, Pocono, Darlington
Short Track P&Q
- 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
- Qualifying will be two laps, one round.
- Tracks: Martinsville 1-2, Bristol 1-2, North Wilkesboro, Lucas Oil IRP, Richmond
Superspeedway Qualifying
- Qualifying will be one lap, two rounds
- Fastest 10 trucks in first round advance to final round
- Starting positions 1-10 will be based on finish in final round; remainder of field will start based on qualifying results in first round.
- Tracks: Atlanta, Talladega
Road Course P&Q
- 50-minute practice for all cars
- 20-minute qualifying for Group 1, multi cars on track; 20-minute qualifying for Group 2, multi cars on track
- One round of qualifying
- Tracks: Watkins Glen, Charlotte Roval
Expanded Practice Weekends
The following weekends will have an expanded practice session.
NCS: The Clash, DAYTONA 500, COTA*, All-Star Race, Mexico City, Indianapolis, Phoenix Championship
NXS: Daytona-1, Rockingham, Mexico City, Indianapolis, WWTR, Phoenix Championship
NCTS: Daytona, Rockingham, Michigan, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, New Hampshire, Charlotte Roval, Phoenix Championship
Note: The NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Circuit of the Americas will use the same practice format as Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval in 2024, where cars will be assigned to two groups, with two 20-minute practices for each group (40 minutes total per car). The COTA practice session will lead into qualifying.
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.
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