NASCAR made a couple changes to the qualifying format for the 2025 season that were not on display at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway simply because they do not apply to superspeedway races.
Superspeedway qualifying sessions still consist of one single group, with the order based on the four-variable metric that has now been used for six years (full formula here). The top 10 drivers in round one of the single-car session then advance to the second round shootout for the pole position.
But qualifying has changed for all other races.
Last year, the single-car qualifying sessions for regular oval races consisted of two groups, with the groups evenly balanced based on the same four-variable metric. For example, the top driver in the metric slotted into the second group, the second driver in the metric slotted into the first, and it kept going back and forth until both groups were filled.
All drivers who failed to advance to round two lined up based on where they ranked within their group. For example, the sixth place driver in the first group would line up on row six, as would the sixth pace driver in the second group, regardless of how their speeds stacked up against anybody else in the opposite group.
The fastest five drivers in each group advanced to the second round shootout for the pole position. Following a mid-season rule change, round two also became group-based in terms of setting the starting lineup.
The fastest driver still took pole, while the fastest driver in the opposite group took the other front row starting spot. But everybody else lined up depending on where they ranked within their group, with group two on the inside lane and group one on the outside lane.
The same was true for the road and street course races, though the sessions were not single-car sessions; they were timed sessions. The same two-group, top-five knockout format was used.
This year, NASCAR qualifying looks much different.
Once again, the same four-variable metric is in play. But for oval races, all that means is that the entire qualifying order is in reverse order. Those with the best metric scores qualify last, with no divvying up the field into two groups.
Additionally, there is no round two; the speeds from the single-car session determine the starting lineup, in full, and with no more row-by-row designations according to group.
And for road and street course races, such as this weekend's race at Circuit of the Americas, there are still two groups. But group one consists of the drivers with the worse metric scores, while group two consists of drivers with the best metric scores. Again, there is no divvying up the field to make the groups even.
The results are combined from both groups to create the starting lineup, as there is also no round two.
All things considered, it's a much simpler approach, especially after the confusion brought on by last year's mid-season rule change, which was supposedly enacted to enhance the fairness of qualifying.
On ovals, there is one round, with the order based on the reverse metric order. And on road and street courses, there are two groups, with the groupings themselves having no actual impact on the lineup, and there is still just one round.
Qualifying for Sunday afternoon's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix is set to be shown live on Amazon Prime Video from Circuit of the Americas beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, March 1. The race itself is set to be shown live on Fox beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 2.