There's been a clamor for adjustments to NASCAR's practice and qualifying procedures, and the Series hopes to deliver on some of those wishes, in some fashion, next year. The 2025 season will bring some improvements to both that will appeal to both spectators and racers alike, including revisions to practice periods, practice prior to Daytona 500 qualifying, and the return of single-round qualifying.
Since the Covid-19 epidemic, NASCAR's race weekends have transformed tremendously. Gone are the days of numerous hours of practice with two days of on-track sessions before the real Cup race. In its place, NASCAR pressed on with a truncated race weekend that generally comprises two 15-minute practice sessions with the field split in half based on qualifying groupings. While the current alterations are not a return to the old, pre-pandemic traditions, the governing body has allocated extra time to practices for two 25-minute sessions.
While many may remain be frustrated by the limited practice sessions, the decision to arrange a practice session before Daytona 500 qualifying is one that should earn unanimous appreciation. In recent years, it was borderline ludicrous as rookies and open teams were obliged to make their very first lap on track for the biggest event of the year during qualifying. Without a decent time to shake out their cars, teams suffered various technical troubles, which also damaged their qualification for the biggest race of the year. Travis Pastrana, who having never driven a Cup vehicle before his 2023 Daytona 500 debut, had to practice his launch and gear swaps in the parking lot of 23XI Racing. The lack of practice was heavily criticized and justifiably so. Thankfully, teams will get the chance to shake the dust off in a Wednesday practice before time trials next year. That practice should have never been discontinued in the first place, but its reintroduction is a good one.
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Now for the final important alteration. One of the more aggravating things of NASCAR Cup qualifying in recent years has been the structure. The five quickest from Group A and Group B progressed, battling for pole place in the final round. However, it was evident that one group had an obvious edge over the other and it was generally Group A since they had more time to cool down their automobiles. To remedy this, NASCAR adopted a rule where Group A could only start from the outside row and Group B could only start from the inside row, except for the front row. It produced instances where racers with slower lap times were starting well above those with better laps. It was tough to watch as it was unclear where most of the field was starting until the broadcast displayed the grid. It definitely made me want for a return to the basic days of single-round qualifying with a starting grid based purely on slowest to quickest timings.
Well, desire granted! NASCAR will re-introduce single-round qualifying at a majority of circuits in 2025, only having two rounds at superspeedways. All of these improvements are a step the correct direction, indicating leadership is prepared to listen (even if it takes longer than required to execute them). Giving teams extra practice time, ensuring teams are adequately prepared for Daytona 500 qualifying, and reducing the complexity around time trials are all positives, and perhaps a hint of more good improvements to come.
