Qualify for NASCAR Cup Series racing has been a controversial topic so far this season as changes to the aerodynamic package caused drivers to be reluctant to run their qualifying laps in anything other than a large group and to be reluctant to be the first driver on the track.
This resulted in Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott failing to reach the start/finish line to begin what would have been their final qualifying laps in the third and final round of qualifying for the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early March.
This resulted in All 12 drivers who qualified for the third and final round of qualifying for the race at Auto Club Speedway failed to post lap times in that round.
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Therefore, NASCAR has implemented additional sanctions before the race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago for any drivers who make it to a qualifying round but fail to post a lap time and/or prevent other drivers from going out on track to do so.
NASCAR has now implemented an additional adjustment to qualifying ahead of this Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway.
The three qualifying heats will each last five minutes. The first of these three heats will always bring together all the drivers registered for the race, the second the 24 fastest drivers from the first heat and the third and last the 12 fastest drivers from the second heat.
The change comes in the form of modified time limits for the first two of those three rounds. Those two rounds lasted 10 minutes each, while the third and final round lasted five minutes and was unchanged.
That said, this weekend’s change is only a temporary one as NASCAR looks to implement a permanent solution to one of the hottest and most controversial talking points through the first eight races of the 36-race 2019 season.
Additionally, Richmond Raceway will host an Xfinity Series race this Friday night, but the qualifying format for that race has not been changed.
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Will this additional change to qualifications produce the desired results? NASCAR Will Cup Series fans get a permanent solution to this problem and if so, when? Qualifying for this Saturday night’s race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Richmond Raceway starting at 5:40 p.m. ET on Friday, April 12, and the race itself, the Toyota Owners 400, will be broadcast live on Fox from the track starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 13.
