Just as the Daytona 500 is a special race, qualifying procedures for it are also special. The typical single-car, two-lap run system of qualifying somewhat goes out the window when it comes to the season-opening Daytona 500 – somewhat but not completely.
An attempt to make the Daytona 500 does start in the normal fashion of each car making a couple of laps around the 2.5-mile superspeedway by itself on the Saturday of the weekend prior to the main event. Unlike normal qualifying sessions, though, only the top-two starting positions – the front row – are determined during the session.
Aside from the top-two starters, all other competitors must wait until the following Thursday to find out where or if they’ll be starting the Daytona 500. Much of the rest of the starting grid behind the front row is set by the results of two 150-mile qualifying races. All entries, including the two who earned front row starting positions on the previous Saturday, are split into two groups. Cars are ranked based on their Saturday qualifying speed. The cars that are in odd positions in that ranking run the first of the two qualifying races, and the ones in even positions run the second.
For the most part, the finishing order, aside from the front row starters, determine much of the starting order for the Daytona 500, with competitors from the first qualifying event making up the inside line of the grid, or the odd starting positions, for the Daytona 500, and the group from the second race making up the outside line or even starting positions.
There are a few monkey wrenches, or exceptions if you will, thrown into the equation. This is because the top-30 in owners’ points are guaranteed starting positions. With the Daytona 500 being the first “official” race of the season, NASCAR reverts back to the season-ending owners’ points standings from 2009.
The top-two finishers in each of the qualifying races who weren’t in the top-35 at the conclusion of 2009 each earn a position in the Daytona 500. These four drivers, along with the top-35 from the previous season make up the first 39 starting positions in the 43-car field.
After the first 39-positions are set, NASCAR reverts back to the Saturday qualifying session to set positions 40 through 42. The three fastest cars from that qualifying session that weren’t either in the top-35 at the end of 2009 or one of the top-two “not already in” cars in the qualifying races make up positions 40 through 42.
The 43rd and final spot in the field is reserved for the most recent past Cup champion that wasn’t fast enough in either the Saturday qualifying session or one of Thursday’s qualifying races. If there is no past champion who isn’t already in the Daytona 500 after qualifying, the 43rd-spot is occupied by the next fastest car in the Saturday qualifying session that didn’t get in as a result of one of the qualifying races.
Daytona 500 qualifying will begin at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday and can be seen live on FOX. The Gatorade Duel qualifying races will air live on SPEED, with the first one scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET on SPEED.
To be notified when new articles are posted, follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/nascarexaminer or become a fan of NASCAR Examiner on Facebook.
Comments