Good changes on the horizon for NASCAR practice and qualifying

There have been calls for changes to NASCAR’s practice and qualifying formats, and the series plans to meet some of those requests in some way next year. The 2025 season will see some changes that fans and competitors alike will love, including changes to practice times, practice before Daytona 500 qualifying, and the return of single-round qualifying.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR race weekends have changed dramatically. Many hours of practice days followed with two days of on-track sessions before the actual Cup race. In its place, NASCAR proceeded with an abbreviated race weekend, typically consisting of two 15-minute practice sessions with the field divided in half based on qualifying groups. While the latest changes are not a return to old, pre-pandemic methods, the sanctioning body has added more time to practice for two 25-minute sessions.

While many will still be disappointed by the shortened practice sessions, the decision to hold a practice session before Daytona 500 qualifying is one that should receive universal praise. In recent years, this was extremely absurd as novice and open teams were forced to do their first lap on the track for the biggest race of the year during qualifying. Without being given a proper chance to shake out their cars, teams suffered a number of mechanical problems, spoiling their qualification for the biggest race of the year. Travis Pastrana, who had never driven a Cup car before the start of the 2023 Daytona 500, got to practice his launches and gear shifts in the parking lot of 23XI Racing. The lack of practice has been widely criticized, and rightfully so. Thankfully, teams will get a chance to shake off the dust in Wednesday practice ahead of next year’s time trial. That practice should never have ended in the first place, but its return is welcome.

Now for the last big change. One of the most frustrating parts of NASCAR Cup qualifying in recent years has been the format. The five fastest players from Group A and Group B advanced to the final round, competing for pole position. However, it was clear that one group had a clear advantage over the other and it was usually Group A as they had more time to cool their cars. To deal with this, NASCAR implemented a change where Group A could only start from the outside row and Group B could only start from the inside row, excluding the front row. This created situations where drivers with slower lap times were starting far above drivers with faster runs. This was frustrating to watch and until the broadcast showed the grid it was not clear where most of the field was starting. It definitely inspired me to return to the simpler days of single-round qualifying with a starting grid based on slowest to fastest time.

Well, the wish came true! NASCAR will reintroduce single-round qualifying at most tracks in 2025, with only two rounds at superspeedways. All of these changes are steps in the right direction, showing that leadership is willing to listen (even if they take longer than necessary to implement). Giving teams more practice time, ensuring teams are properly prepared for Daytona 500 qualifying, and removing confusion around time trials are all positive, and hopefully a sign of more good changes to come.