NASCAR Rules 101: NASCAR Qualifying Rules

Unless you're a die hard NASCAR fan most likely the only time you see it is on Sunday. Well, there is occasional Saturday races as well from time to time. Either way you probably don't keep up with the week leading up to the race. NASCAR qualifying rules are a little different then race day so for all of you who got a little interested with the NASCAR Rules 101 Flag article, this will even further your knowledge.

NASCAR qualifying rules consist of 35 guaranteed starters, the provisionals, and the Champion's Provisional. There are an exception or two here and there, but for the most part this is what qualifying throughout the week consists of in NASCAR. I'll explain each process below to give you a better understanding.

35 Guaranteed Starters- There are a total of 43 driver spots each given week. According to the NASCAR qualifying rules 35 of them are guaranteed a spot in the race based upon the points standings. During the qualifications these NASCAR drivers are simply competing for positions as opposed to actually getting in the race. Why is this one of many NASCAR qualifying rules? Well, it keeps everyone racing the entire race because they want to at least be one of the top 35 NASCAR drivers in the point standings.

The Provisionals- After the first 35 NASCAR drivers are in the provisionals come into play. There are only 7 spots available so it's pretty much down to the nitty gritty. This is definitely one of the most interesting NASCAR qualifying rules because those NASCAR drivers who are trying to get in the race can still get the pole. What? Yep, even though they weren't guaranteed a spot, they can still come in and qualifying at any other position as opposed to just the last 8. Actually, it's a good rule because most of them would have a hard time getting in the top 35 otherwise.

The Champion's Provisional- Well, this doesn't exactly mean they're going to call up Richard Petty or anything, but the final spot is given to a previous champion. Keep in mind this doesn't mean just one race, but the overall Championship for any particular year. For instance if Jeff Gordon didn't qualify for one of the races, he could use the Champion's Provisional for the 43rd spot in the race. Not sure I like these types of NASCAR qualifying rules, but hey it seems to be working for them.

NASCAR Qualifying Rules Exception List- While the list is short, these are definitely respectable exceptions. The first five races of the year for instance the guaranteed starters are determined based on the previous year's performance. So if Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 36th in points the prior year, he would be one of the provisionals.

The second exception in the NASCAR qualifying rules deals with the Daytona 500. Not to go into that whole race, but they have their own system of doing things and evidently the normal methods aren't it. The only other thing is if the qualifying rounds are canceled. This happens from time to time, but if it does there are 42 spots awarded based on points. The 43rd is still used for the Champion's Provisional. Oh, if by chance there isn't a previous champion the last spot goes to whoever is next in line on points.

Hope this helped for the second edition of NASCAR 101 and understanding the NASCAR qualifying rules. Next time we'll tackle the points system.