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February 16 marks the official kick-off of the Daytona 500 qualifying race. Wednesday’s Daytona single-car qualifying format, however, will be a little bit different from what was expected after NASCAR updated its rulebook today.
In a morning tweet, motorsport journalist Bob Pockrass highlighted the changes, stating:
“NASCAR updated its rulebook today to show Daytona single-car qualifying on Wednesday will be two rounds with top-10 going to second round (now the procedure for regular Daytona/ Talladega races). Top-10 in qualifying results determined by 2nd round; rest by 1st round.”
Earlier, single-car qualifying ran for two consecutive laps with the fast lap setting the qualifying time and the fastest two cars earning the front row. After that, the Duels determine the rest of the lineup.
This, however, will not be the criteria for Wednesday’s single-car qualifying race. Instead, the cars will run for two rounds with the 10 fastest cars proceeding to the second round. The fastest two cars in the second round will earn the front-row for the Great American Race on Sunday, February 20.
After Pockrass highlighted the changes on Twitter, one NASCAR fan tweeted saying:
“Two round of qualifying to determine the starting grid for two qualifying races, which sets the starting order for the 500. And starting position really makes no difference, and no body goes home?”
2022 Daytona 500 schedule
After a spectacular 2021 season, NASCAR is now set to kick off its 2022 season in Daytona. The 64th annual Daytona 500, one of the most desired victories in the sport's history, will commence officially on Sunday, February 20, at 2:30 pm ET.
The practice starts on Tuesday, February 15, with two sessions. The first session will start at 5:05 pm ET, followed by the second session at 6:35 pm ET.
On Wednesday, February 16, the single-car qualifying takes place at 8:05 pm ET, with two rounds in it. Only the top 10 from round 1 will move into round 2, where the fastest two cars will lock out the front row for Sunday.
After single-car qualifying, the Bluegreen Vacation Duels will take place to set the grid for the remaining cars. All racing cars finishing in the odd-numbered positions will be placed for Duel 1, while those finishing in the even-numbered positions will be placed for Duel 2. Results from the duels will determine Daytona 500's complete starting line.
Friday and Saturday will have one practice session each. Then on Sunday, the Great American Race will go down at 2:30 pm ET.
The Daytona 500 will mark the kick-off of the 2022's Cup Series season, with the Next Gen cars making their debut on the speedway.
Also Checkout : 2022 Nascar Cup Series Results
