NASCAR qualifying and how the starting grid is arrainged is a VERY weird and complex set of rules that cause many to shake their heads in amazement.
OK, here we go, I hope you took an aspirin before reading this, because it's just plain weird.
Each week the starting lineup for the NASCAR race is determined by the NASCAR qualifying process. With qualifying times, guaranteed starters and provisionals all factoring into the mix NASCAR qualifying can be a bit confusing. Here is the current method that NASCAR uses to determine the official starting lineup for the race each week.
Who Goes First?
The process begins a few hours before qualifying when each team sends one representative to the draw. A machine much like you would find in a bingo parlor is set up and each team randomly gets assigned a number. That number is the order in which teams will go out for their qualifying run.
Sometimes the luck of the draw can have a huge affect on the outcome of qualifying. As the track cools later in the afternoon often speeds will increase so drawing a high number is often an advantage.
The Qualifying Run
At the scheduled time NASCAR qualifying will begin.
Cars take to the track one at a time. Drivers normally start from pit road and have less than one full lap to get up to speed. The drivers get the green flag the first time they cross the start/finish line. Then drivers get two laps to set their best time, taking the fastest of the two as their official NASCAR qualifying time.
There is some strategy in play here. At a restrictor plate race drivers will "throw away" their first lap by running way up by the outside wall. This gives the engine the maximum amount of time to get up to speed and makes the second lap a little bit quicker.
Conversely, at an abrasive track like Darlington a driver might pit after his first green-flag lap and not even take his second qualifying lap because the car is at its fastest right at the beginning. If the driver feels like he hit his marks on the first lap then he's wasting his time and risking damaging the car by taking another lap which will usually be slower.
More common though are the mid-range "regular" tracks where drivers will go all out for two laps in an effort to set a fast time.
Time vs Speed
Officially NASCAR qualifying is set by the amount of time it takes a driver to complete his one fastest lap. NASCAR times the laps electronically down to one-thousandth of a second (.001). If there is a tie, the team that is higher in car-owner points gets the spot.
Notice that we are talking about time during qualifying and not speed. The formula for converting lap times to miles per hour is:
(length of the track in miles)/(laptime in seconds)*60*60
Qualifying is usually reported in the media in miles per hour but officially it is kept in seconds.
In a perfect world the fastest 43 cars that show up for NASCAR qualifying on any given week would start the race. However in order to reward the teams that show up week in and week out NASCAR has guaranteed starting spots and provisionals available.
The Guaranteed Starters
Starting with the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season NASCAR guaranteed the top 35 teams in car owner points a spot in the starting lineup. This is to encourage teams to run all the races instead of just a few and reward the teams that do show up every week.
This means that teams safely in the top 35 are only qualifying to determine where they will be on the grid and are in no danger of going home without racing. This sometimes allows these teams to spend their practice time working on race setups. This can pay off on race day, but could cause them to start deeper in the field.
Provisionals
After the top 35 in owner points take their guaranteed spot the seven fastest non-guaranteed drivers get into the field based on their qualifying time.
The seven drivers that get in on time will start wherever their times normally would put them in the order. So if a non-guaranteed driver runs quickest in qualifying he still gets to start on the pole ahead of the guaranteed, but slower, drivers.
This leaves one final spot which is known as "The Champions Provisional." This final 43rd starting position is reserved for any former NASCAR Champion that didn't qualify for the race any other way (by points or on time.)
If there is no driver eligible for the Champions Provisional then that spot goes to the eighth fastest driver that is not guaranteed a starting spot based on points.
Some Exceptions To The Rules
The most obvious exception to all of this is the Daytona 500. The Daytona 500 follows its own qualifying process that is unlike any other race on the NASCAR schedule.
Another exception has to do with the all-important car owner points. Through the first five races of the year NASCAR uses the car owner points from the previous season. Beginning with the sixth race of the year NASCAR switches to the current season's car owner points to determine the guaranteed starters.
And finally, what does NASCAR do when it rains or snows or for any other reason qualifying is cancelled? In that case NASCAR lines up the top 42 drivers by car owner points. Then the Champions provisional is still available to a former Champion not in the top 42. If there isn't an unqualified past Champion then the next driver in points gets the last starting spot.
Clear As Mud
NASCAR's qualifying rules can seem quite complex but when you break it down and look at each piece of the puzzle it becomes much more obvious how it all fits together to create the starting lineup for each week's race.
http://nascar.about.com/od/nascar101/a/ ... ualify.htm
...damn,thats one of the most complicated procedures ever designed by homo sapiens