September 3rd, 2010 
T.C. The idea of multi-car qualifying is nothing new to motorsports. Our readers who follow Formula 1 racing (or other open wheel series) know what I’m talking about. It is however, a fairly new system for NASCAR. We’ve seen the Nationwide Series use the process for road course races over the last few years, and this season the Truck Series has used it at Pocono and will again use it at Kentucky this weekend. CBS Sports reported on Thursday that NASCAR may be considering implementing multi-car qualifying for both the NNS and Cup Series on a regular basis. Is anyone else wondering why?
It appears that the main reason this system would be adopted by all the NASCAR series is to speed up the qualifying process. That’s fine, but I didn’t realize there was a problem with how quickly qualifying happened. This appears to me as something that isn’t necessarily broken, but NASCAR wants to fix it anyway.
Personally, my biggest objection with the multi-car qualifying idea is how fair this would be for everyone involved. We’ve seen plenty of times in other forms of racing where one driver’s bonzai qualifying lap was ruined by another driver in the name of strategy. With so much at stake, and the measures that teams go to in terms of finding an advantage, it isn’t crazy to think that this could happen in NASCAR. Single car qualifying runs eliminate any possibility of tampering by another team.
On top of that, what if a driver blows an engine while qualifying, and the other driver on track drives into the oil left behind and wrecks their primary car? A team could potentially have their weekend ruined before the race even starts. How is that fair? Under the system we have now, this would never happen, because NASCAR has the ability to clean the track in between qualifying runs.
With the current state of the sport I realize that NASCAR is trying to find ways to improve the racing and get more people to not only attend races, but also to watch on TV. To me though, implementing multi-car qualifying will cause more problems then it actually fixes.
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I don’t think most care. NASCAR ruined qualifying with the Top-35 rule.
NASCAR,Stop trying to fix the things Not broken!
Certain tracks you don’t need multi-car. The ones that would benifit would be Daytona, Talladega, Pocono, and the RC…Qualifying should not take as long if not longer than the race would. That is my biggest gripe with the way Qualifying is right now.
Yeah, you are right, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. NASCAR should be concentrating on what ails it (and that is the point of contention).
I like the way the NW series qualified at Watkins Glen in groups based on practice speeds. I missed Montreal qualy…did they do the same there?
Instead of trying to speed up the process, do you think NASCAR is actually trying to spice qualy up a bit on ovals? After all, any oval qualy for stock cars is truly a snoozefest.
I could see a lot of infair team drafting tactics in play if the whole field, or even group format, were instituted.
My observation on multi-car qualifying is that it would speed it up. Some tracks like Pocono, Mich., Calif. take forever to qualify, and it gets real boring. The fan usually cannot tell when a driver misses a corner or is sliding and has to get off the throttle, or etc.
Seems that NASCAR could tweek the process like have a certain number on the track according to practice times, or something like that. Also the announcers are usually falling all over themselves trying to fill the time especially at the long tracks.
I agree with Stanley – we don’t need yet another “tweak”.
What next NASCAR? Inverting the starting fields to spice up the show?
I can see the carnage now!
For once I applaud NASCAR. I know you guys are involved in the sport, but from a fan’s perspective qualifying is boring. Like everyone said, places like Pocono and Michigan could use some excitement.
Keith is right. It’s the top-35 rule that’s ruined both qualifying & the sport. Brian France is nothing like his dad or granddad; that apple fell very far from the tree.
to sell tickets on qualifying day.
With the top 35 rule, they might as well eliminate qualifying except for the go or go homers. They can draw straws for the pit selection and starting position. Qualifying is almost meaningless. Make everyone qualify on time and only guarantee a starting position for the top ten finishers in the previous race. Guaranteed starting positions are welfare for cowards.
Uhgggg…I know lets just have the drivers pull a number out of a bottle like they do at some short tracks and line up that way…..
NASCAR….Dumbass idea’s
Too gimicky for me.
Get rid of the welfare top 35 if you want viewers, its not rocket science people.
I don’t much care about qualifying – whatever works and is safe.
I also don’t much care ABOUT the T35 rule. NASCAR is a business, and it’s good for business to have Junior, Gordon, Edwards, Busch x 2, etc., in the field every week. They bring the sponsors who pay the bills. Every so often I pay attention to who’s in and out of the T35, but rarely. I root for Robby Gordon to make it, for example, but otherwise, the Gillilands and Stremmes and Papises and Blaneys and Nemecheks are interchangeable anonymous cars a few laps down. Do any of us (serious fans) really care much about which of them is in and which is out?
(But I would certainly be willing to make it a T30 or even T25 rule. I’d also be happy with the same 40 cars every week.)
dont know if it has been said yet or not (
) but
GET RID OF THE TOP 35 TICK TOCK THE GAME IS LOCKED BS RULES. PERIOD.
The multi car qualifying works well in F1 because EVERY track is VERY so long (2-4 miles) and it is the WHOLE FIELD IS OUT THERE EACH Q (Q1 Q2 Q3) TOO.
It is not required that all cars are out for there all the time for Q times, so certain cars runs awhile and then they pit, and tweek and then go back out, it is pretty fun to watch….I really enjoyed watching the GP of Monaco Q qualifying this year. The strategy was very interesting beacuse of the narrow road, and anyone was caught behind a slow car your Q time was blown.. BUT …but …Here is the intersting part..at one point ALL/MOST of the cars pitted, the track was empty… so there was the moment to grasp the brass ring…. get out there and NAIL IT on an empty track……. very cool.
Answer to your question….
NO, Nascar does not need F1 type quality, NOR F1 WHEELS(one lug), NOR F1 TYPE PIT STOPS(no gas), NOR F1 TYPE ANYTHING….. COME ON NASCAR CUT THE CRAP…catch a clue ( or buy one ) ( and I dont mean hire people to post on message boards to spread the propaganda) I mean go back to 10 years ago rules….
KISS
KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID
Garry: I watched the Knoxville Nationals last week. Sprint car racing’s qualifying system is totally inexplicable to me. Who starts where in what heat, etc.? But I didn’t care – it was some great racing!
I met a guy at a party a few months back who does some dirt racing locally and he tried to explain qualifying. Sometimes your qualifying time counts, sometimes your heat finish counts. I couldn’t follow it!
@Gary-
I guess I am not a serious fan because I do care what happens to Blaney, Nemechek, and some of the other “interchangebale drivers.” Thank you for showing me how wrong I have been about rooting for people that rarely complain in public and try to make the best of bad situations. I guess I should stop following NASCAR and take my money elsewhere. Or maybe I should go root for the spoiled drivers who whine and complain publicly when things don’t go their way.
I usually never direct any comments at anyone in particular. i amke my comments, and that is it….
I am not sure why these last 2 comments may have been directed at me, or what exactly Melissa’s issue is.
Melissa you can stop following anything you want…. stop doing this…. stop doing that…. stop doing anything you want…… it make NO DIFFERENCE TO ME WHAT YOU DO …. or maybe you are just looking for trouble, who knows?
Gonna be a good race tonight in Atlanta, ya’ all ready?
PS
up until now this has has been a pretty straight forward “call and response” site. It has been fun reading the insider posts and the responses from just regular normal folks who follow racing….. but if this place becomes over run with obvious “plants” from NASACAR’s PR dept and T.C. and Journo allow that, then what is the point?
It will be intersting to see what happens.
If they do not want me posting here anymore, they can stop reposting my posts, and I will get the point, and that is OK….. If that happens, then I say thanks to them for helping me learn some new things, it was fun and interesting.
LOL..
according to Mellisa and NASCAR PR
GOOD LIL NASACAR RACERS-
“rarely complain in public and try to make the best of bad situations”
BAD NASCAR RACERS-
spoiled drivers who whine and complain publicly when things don’t go their way.
come on Melissa,
you can do a better job of being “embedded” than that.
Garry- I’m honored that you think that I’m a plant, but I can assure you that I’m not. I must apologize- my comments shouldn’t have been directed at you in the first place. They should have been directed at Doug in CA. Thank you for taking my words and twisting them. I never said that there were good and bad drivers, just drivers I choose to root for. To be honest, I occassionally do root for one of the biggest whiners out there.
To get back on topic. I like the idea of multi-car qualifying. NASCAR just has to make sure that they really think about all the situations that can occur and what the teams can do if there is trouble on the track during their qualifying run. I don’t see it as a problem on the road courses as they are long enough and the cars are usually spaced out enough not to cause each other problems, especially with only 5 or 6 in a group. Unfortunately I believe that the 2 tracks where multi-car qualifying is needed the most, Daytona and Talladega, wouldn’t implement the procedure due to the appearance of one car getting the advantage of any bit of draft over another car.
Melissa and Gary, I should have stood up quicker, but figured that Melissa’s comment was aimed at me. I figured this thread was gone, so didn’t bother. My bad.
And Melissa, despite what I said (inartfully) in my post, I was really happy to see that Dave Blaney had a full ride and finished 24th, and on the lead lap! We tend to forget that the S&P guys are racers, too. Todd Bodine was on Wind Tunnel last week discussing his S&P team.
When we talk about what’s right or wrong with NASCAR, there are really two debates: how do we attract new fans? How do we keep old ones?