NASCAR Adjusts Talladega Qualifying

NASCAR revised its national series qualifying format for Talladega Superspeedway which, in turn, should elevate the on-track competition for fans at the high speed 2.66-mile track. 

For the Oct. 17-19 events at Talladega featuring both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, national series qualifying will take on a more rapid pace that should bring out the best in the competitors and provide fans with an extra element of excitement.  

Keystone Light Pole Qualifying for the Fred’s 250 powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race will take place Friday, Oct. 17 at 5:30 p.m. ET and will air live on FOX Sports 1. Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 18 at 4:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPNEWS, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

National series qualifying at Talladega will now consist of: 

• Three rounds with the first round divided into two groups of competitors. The first qualifying round is five minutes in length for each group.
• Competitors will be assigned to a first qualifying round group based on the random draw held earlier in the event.
• The 24 fastest competitors from either of the first qualifying round groups will advance to the second round. Remaining competitors will be sorted based on their speed, in descending order.
• There will be a 10-minute break after the completion of the first qualifying round and the 24 remaining competitors that advance to the second round will have their times reset.
• The second qualifying round is five minutes in length, with the 12 fastest competitors advancing to the third and final round. Remaining competitors will earn positions 13-24 based on their speed, in descending order.
• Following a five minute break, the 12 eligible competitors that advance to the final round will have their posted speeds reset.
• The final qualifying round is five minutes in length, with the fastest lap speeds determining positions 1-12, in descending order.

“This revision in national series qualifying at Talladega should be more exciting for our fans,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR senior vice president of competition and racing development. “It will feature a more accelerated pace, provide greater opportunity for team strategy to come into play and it should more closely resemble actual racing conditions.” 

The Fred’s 250 powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Oct. 18 will now begin at 1 p.m. ET, moving up from the original start time of 3:30 p.m. ET.  The GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 19, which airs at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, is the cutoff race for the Contender Round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and will trim the championship field to eight drivers.