Single-car qualifying is returning to the NASCAR Cup, beginning this weekend at Dover International Speedway.
For remainder of the season, qualifying for the Cup, as well as in the Xfinity and Truck championships’, will move to a single-car, single-round format at all race tracks except road courses.
At oval tracks measuring 1.25 miles in length or less, qualifying will consist of two timed laps.
But at oval tracks measuring more than 1.25 miles in length, qualifying will consist of one timed lap.
The group qualifying format will remain in place at road courses, and the qualifying order draw will be determined by the previous race’s starting lineup.
In the Cup, the top 20 starters from the previous race will draw to take their qualifying lap in positions 21-40, which will take place in the second half of qualifying.
The remainder of the drivers will draw to qualify in positions 1-20.
This is at least the third significant change in qualifying announced by NASCAR this season.
The changes first began following a third-round session at Auto Club Speedway in March, when all of the 12 Cup drivers waited so late to make a qualifying attempt that none of them reached the timing line before five-minute time limit ran out.
That meant none of them had a qualifying speed and pole position was awarded to Austin Dillon as he was fastest in the second round.
There were also issues at Las Vegas and Texas, and to a lesser extent, at Bristol.
For the most part, these problems have arisen due to the increased reliance on the draft that comes with the adaption of NASCAR’s new aero rules in the Cup this season.