NASCAR adjusts practice & qualifying procedures for 2025 season

NASCAR Thursday announced that its three national series – the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series – will adjust the practice and qualifying (P&Q) procedures for the 2025 season.

The updated P&Q schedule will include more practice time, consistency in procedure across all three series and a return to simplified starting lineup rules. With the exception of the superspeedway events, each qualifying session will be one round, with each vehicle’s starting position determined solely by its qualifying results.
 
In addition, NASCAR announced that a practice session prior to DAYTONA 500 qualifying has been added to the Daytona International Speedway weekend schedule. The 50-minute pre-qualifying practice is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 10:05 a.m. ET. The annual DAYTONA 500 Media Day will also take place Wednesday, Feb. 12, starting at noon and ending at 7 p.m. ET. DAYTONA 500 Busch Light Pole Award Qualifying will follow at 8:15 p.m. ET.
 
Next season, FOX Sports will broadcast P&Q for The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the DAYTONA 500, the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Raceway, as well as P&Q for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Prime Video will broadcast NASCAR Cup Series P&Q for the first half of the season excluding the events outlined above; TNT Sports will broadcast P&Q on Max and truTV for the second half of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Details for NASCAR Xfinity Series P&Q sessions airing on CW platforms will be announced at a later date.
 
Below are the procedures for each track type.
 
NASCAR CUP SERIES
 
Standard P&Q
• 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
—Groups and qualifying order are determined by metrics (70 percent based on previous race finish by owner; 30 percent based on owner points position. The best scoring cars in metrics will be placed in Group 2.)
• Qualifying will be one lap, one round
• Tracks: Las Vegas 1-2, Phoenix-1, Miami, Darlington 1-2, Texas, Kansas 1-2, Charlotte, Nashville, Michigan, Pocono, WWTR, New Hampshire.
 
Short Track P&Q
• 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
• Qualifying will be two laps, one round
• Tracks: Martinsville 1-2, Bristol 1-2, Dover, Iowa, Richmond.
 
Superspeedway Qualifying
• Qualifying will be one lap, two rounds
• Fastest 10 cars in first round advance to final round
• Starting positions 1-10 will be based on fastest qualifying time in final round; remainder of field will start based on qualifying results in first round.
• Tracks: Atlanta 1-2, Talladega 1-2, Daytona-2.
 
Road Course P&Q
• 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
• 20-minute qualifying for Group 1, multi cars on track; 20-minute qualifying for Group 2, multi cars on track
• One round of qualifying
• Tracks: Chicago Street Race, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Charlotte Roval.
 
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
 
Standard P&Q
• 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
• Qualifying will be one lap, one round.
• Tracks: Phoenix-1, Las Vegas 1-2, Miami, Darlington, Texas, Kansas, Charlotte, Nashville, Pocono.
 
Short Track P&Q
• 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
• Qualifying will be two laps, one round.
• Tracks: Martinsville 1-2, Bristol 1-2, Dover, Iowa.
 
Superspeedway Qualifying
• Qualifying will be one lap, two rounds
• Fastest 10 cars in first round advance to final round
• Starting positions 1-10 will be based on finish in final round; remainder of field will start based on qualifying results in first round.
• Tracks: Atlanta 1-2, Talladega 1-2, Daytona-2.
 
Road Course P&Q
• 50-minute practice for all cars
• 20-minute qualifying for Group 1, multi cars on track; 20-minute qualifying for Group 2, multi cars on track
• One round of qualifying
• Tracks: COTA, Chicago Street Race, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Portland, Charlotte Roval.
 
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
 
Standard P&Q
• 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
• Qualifying will be one lap, one round.
• Tracks: Las Vegas, Miami, Texas, Kansas, Charlotte, Nashville, Pocono, Darlington.
 
Short Track P&Q
• 25-minute practice for Group 1; 25-minute practice for Group 2
• Qualifying will be two laps, one round.
• Tracks: Martinsville 1-2, Bristol 1-2, North Wilkesboro, Lucas Oil IRP, Richmond.
 
Superspeedway Qualifying
• Qualifying will be one lap, two rounds
• Fastest 10 trucks in first round advance to final round
• Starting positions 1-10 will be based on finish in final round; remainder of field will start based on qualifying results in first round.
• Tracks: Atlanta, Talladega.
 
Road Course P&Q
• 50-minute practice for all cars
• 20-minute qualifying for Group 1, multi cars on track; 20-minute qualifying for Group 2, multi cars on track
• One round of qualifying
• Tracks: Watkins Glen, Charlotte Roval.
 
Expanded Practice Weekends
 
The following weekends will have an expanded practice session.
 
NCS: The Clash, DAYTONA 500, COTA*, All-Star Race, Mexico City, Indianapolis, Phoenix Championship
NXS: Daytona-1, Rockingham, Mexico City, Indianapolis, WWTR, Phoenix Championship
NCTS: Daytona, Rockingham, Michigan, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, New Hampshire, Charlotte Roval, Phoenix Championship.
 
Note: The NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Circuit of the Americas will use the same practice format as Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval in 2024, where cars will be assigned to two groups, with two 20-minute practices for each group (40 minutes total per car). The COTA practice session will lead into qualifying.
 
About NASCAR: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.
 
For more information, visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Snapchat.
 
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