While superspeedway qualifying remains the same, with each driver making a single-lap attempt in a single-car session and the top 10 drivers from round one advancing to a round two shootout for the pole position, NASCAR made a significant change to regular oval qualifying ahead of the 2025 season.
The qualifying order is still determined by the four-variable metric that was introduced back in 2020. That full formula can be found here.
But instead of using that metric to divide the field into two groups evenly, that metric is simply used for the entire field. The drivers with the highest (worst) metric scores qualify at the beginning, and the drivers with the lowest (best) metric scores qualify at the end.
And that is where qualifying begins and ends; there is no longer a second round shootout.
And there are no more row-by-row designations, either.
Previously, NASCAR took the top five drivers from each group, creating a 10-driver shootout for the pole position in round two. The drivers who did not advance from the first group were locked into the outside lane (even positions), while the drivers who did not advance from the second group were locked into the inside lane (odd positions).
In other words, slower drivers were starting ahead of faster drivers. And to make things more complicated, NASCAR made a surprise in-season rule change last year that instituted this same policy for the 10-driver pole shootout.
The fastest driver took the pole position, but the other front row starting spot went to the fastest driver in the opposite group, even if he was only the sixth fastest in round two.
The drivers who advanced from the first group were locked into the outside lane (even positions), while the drivers who advanced from the second group were locked into the inside lane (odd positions).
Now it's much easier to understand: every driver gets a single-lap attempt, ordered by the metric, and the full starting lineup is determined by qualifying speed during that attempt.
Simple enough.
Qualifying for Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 8 at 3:10 p.m. ET, with live coverage presented by Amazon Prime Fox. Fox is set to broadcast the race live beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 9. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!