Through 25 NASCAR Cup Series oval races in 2026, 28% (seven) have seen their qualifying sessions canceled due to inclement weather. Just four were canceled across the 2024 and 2025 seasons combined.
But this past weekend's cancelation at Bristol Motor Speedway resulted in more talk than ever before about NASCAR's qualifying metric, which resulted in some playoff drivers starting at the front of Saturday's 500-lap Bass Pro Shops Night Race at the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked Bristol, Tennessee oval, while others started as low as 29th.
The metric is based 30% on the owner standings and 70% on the results of the most recent race. Fans have pointed out a few flaws with that, and they may have a point.
Here are three simple fixes that NASCAR can implement moving forward.
More weight on full-season standings
Should one race really be worth 70% while the entire season is only weighted at 30%? It feels like those values should be reversed. It doesn't necessarily need to be 70/30, either. NASCAR made the right move by ditching the completely unnecessary "fastest lap" category from the metric after the 2024 season, but why stop at that? This should be adjusted.
Playoff drivers at the front
When the metric is used to determine the qualifying order, NASCAR only factors in the playoff drivers once the non-playoff drivers are slotted in. In other words, the 16 championship contenders are always the last 16 drivers to qualify.
Yet when qualifying is canceled, NASCAR lumps all drivers into the metric. Why not keep them separated? Why in one, but not the other? In the regular season, NASCAR can simply reverse the qualifying order to determine the starting lineup. If you're going to keep the non-playoff drivers separate from the playoff drivers, commit to it. Pick one.
Both
This, quite frankly, makes the most sense. It puts more value on the full season, which was the whole point of the new playoff format to begin with, and it guarantees that the playoff drivers all start at the front when none are given the opportunity to qualify.
But even if only one of the two (either one, for what it's worth), is implemented, it would still reward long-term success far more than short-term success, since either way, being in the top 16 in the standings would mean far more than simply having a bad run the week prior. And that's what NASCAR should be striving for at this point in the year if qualifying can't happen.
And one more to avoid...
At all costs, however, let's avoid random draws. Even for the qualifying order. NASCAR is not a roulette wheel.
Regardless, let's hope there are no more qualifying session cancelations in 2027, and NASCAR can reassess its qualifying metric during the offseason. Kansas Speedway is scheduled to host the Hollywood Casino 400 this Sunday, September 27, with qualifying scheduled to take place on Saturday.
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