NASCAR switched to the “pack” qualifying format to determine the front row (and, when the smoke clears, rows 17 and 18) for the Daytona 500. However, between the crash in the middle of the first qualifying run and the “let’s wait until the last second to get onto the track and hope we get back to the finish line before the time runs out so we can get a full-speed lap counted” mentality, it came across as a mess.
Was it really as bad as some of the drivers made it sound? You would think that, since they had used this system three times at restrictor plate tracks last year, either NASCAR or the drivers would have seen this coming.
I think the driver with the most to complain about is Denny Hamlin; despite finishing third in the final round of qualifying, he didn’t have one of the four fastest lap times throughout the day, so if he crashes in his Thursday race, he’s out unless he carried over enough owner points from 2014 to get one of the last six spots.
Missed the edit window…
Apparently, Hamlin has enough 2014 owners’ points to guarantee a spot. The highest finisher in the final group who has to finish in the top 15 (or 16th, if one of the top 15 is whichever of Jeff Gordon or Jimmy Johnson is in his race) in his Thursday race to get into the 500 is Kyle Busch, who was 5th in the final qualifying run.
Jeff Gordon gets the pole to start his final season (unless he is like Mark Martin and gives us 10 years
of final seasons).
The year before Austin Dillon gets the pole, as the “3” car returns the track.
The year before that, Danica Patrick gets the pole.
This is not “just another points race on a restrictor plate track during the season.” This is the Daytona 500. Clint had it right with his comments regarding the time put into the cars by the team members at the shop.
Too much time and effort to be wrecked by a start-and-park team that didn’t come to the track planning to actually run the race. They didn’t even have a backup car. If you’re not able to bring a backup car for the Daytona 500, then you shouldn’t be there.
IMO, the start-and-park teams have to go. It’s one thing if there aren’t enough cars to 'fill the field," though I think they should just start a short field, but for the biggest race of the year, it shouldn’t be allowed. If you’re out before the checkered flag flies, and you didn’t crash, your car should be impounded by NASCAR, brought to the tech center and stripped to verify that you had an unrepairable issue. If it’s not found, the car becomes NASCAR property, and you can come back next year to try again… it wouldn’t take too many of these to end the practice.
I vote fiasco. In this specific case, there are already two qualifying races to settle the field (this coming Thursday). Yesterday’s knockout round was ostensibly to settle only two positions: pole and second. Bowyer was right, it was completely unncecessary. Except to provide some more TV air time, of course.
I like the knockout format on the shorter tracks, but it just doesn’t work very well at the restrictor-plate facilities, for the simple reason that the lead car, which would normally be the fastest, is actually slower compared when compared to cars that run in a draft behind the leader. I don’t see any way around this issue for the restrictor-plate tracks, except to either go to qualifying heat races, a la Daytona 500, or back to single-car qualifying.
Right, and F1 qualifying has the cars all spread out because being in someone’s dirty air is actually a bad thing. All other series I’m familiar with have cars setting a fast lap without traffic. Sending everyone out in a big mob seems like it would just encourage shenanigans, which everyone should be saving for the actual race