Cars outside top 35 will qualify together, NASCAR's Darby confirms

[tstran17_88]

http://www.thatsracin.com/nascar_news/story/9421.html

Cars outside top 35 will qualify together, NASCAR's Darby confirms
By DAVID POOLE - The Charlotte Observer
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Cars not guaranteed starting spots because they’re not in the top 35 in car owner points will qualify together at the beginning of qualifying sessions in 2008, Nextel Cup Series director John Darby confirmed Saturday.

“We’ll group them up front,” Darby said in the garage at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Qualifying order for all cars entered in Cup events has been set by a random draw. But some complained that “go-or-go-home” cars qualifying early or late in the draw, depending on weather and track conditions, might have an unfair advantage toward making the race on speed.

Darby said that NASCAR could have changed the rule during the season. “But then if you think you missed a race because of where you qualified in February or March, and we change it in April, people would have said that’s not fair,” Darby said.

“We thought it would be better to say that as of Jan. 1, 2008, this is the way we’re going to do it.”

[tstran17_88]

It may be old news already...but I first saw it today.

[blakebeatty]

First I have heard of it. Overdue for sure, but good point about waiting till the end of the season.

[Ichibrothers]

Man, understand the purpose behind the top 35 rule, but I still do not like it. Like the Chase, it just seems artificial. Fastest 43 should race....period.

Ah.. No use complaining. Won't help much.

Best of a bad situation, anyway, to let these teams run together.

[Lee Roy]

Good decision.

[jeffconn]

Sort of takes some of the suspense out of qualifying, if after the 12th or 13th car qualifies, you know who's going to make the race.

Also, all the non-top-35 cars will probably be in the back of the field. I recall quite a few drivers saying that the cars qualifying later tend to go faster, at most tracks.

BTW, i assume the same setup will happen in the Craftsman and Nationwide series for their non-top-30 drivers.

[Sparky1329]

I think it depends on where they're racing and what time QF is as to the benefit of QF early or late, Jeff. Some tracks are temperature sensitive and some, like concrete, aren't so much. If QF is from mid-afternoon to later when the sun is going down a late QF run might be an advantage. I don't see that QFing the go-or-go-homers as a group will make a big difference since the top 35 will still be locked in.