Good changes on the horizon for NASCAR practice and qualifying

There have been calls for changes to NASCAR's practice and qualifying formats, and the Series plans to satisfy a few of those demands not directly next 12 months. The 2025 season will feature some changes to each that can appeal to fans and competitors alike, including changes to practice times, practice for Daytona 500 qualifying and the return of single-round qualifying.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, NASCAR race weekends have modified dramatically. Gone are the times of long hours of coaching and two days of track sessions before the actual cup race. Instead, NASCAR proposed a shortened race weekend that typically includes two 15-minute practice sessions split in half based on qualifying groups. While the newest changes are usually not a return to the old, pre-pandemic ways, the sanctioning body has added more practice time across two 25-minute sessions.

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Jimmie Johnson, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Carvana Toyota Camry

Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

While many will still be dissatisfied with the short practice sessions, the choice to carry a rehearsal before qualifying for the Daytona 500 ought to be widely welcomed. In recent years this has bordered on the absurd, with rookies and open teams forced to finish their first lap on target before a very powerful race of the 12 months during qualifying. Without a correct likelihood to shake off their cars, the teams encountered several mechanical problems that also doomed their qualifications for a very powerful race of the 12 months. Travis Pastrana, who had never driven a Cup automotive before his 2023 Daytona 500 debut, needed to practice starting and shifting gears within the 23XI Racing parking zone. The lack of practice has been widely criticized, and rightly so. Fortunately, the teams could have a likelihood to shake off the dust during Wednesday's training ahead of next 12 months's time trial. First of all, this practice mustn’t have been eliminated, but its return is welcome.

Travis Pastrana, 23XI Racing, Black Rifle Coffee Toyota Camry

Photo: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images

And now the last major change. One of probably the most frustrating parts of NASCAR Cup qualifying lately has been the format. The five fastest competitors from Group A and Group B advanced, fighting for pole position in the ultimate round. However, it was clear that one group had a transparent advantage over the opposite and it was normally Group A as that they had more time to chill the cars. To combat this, NASCAR made a change whereby Group A could only start on the skin row and Group B could only start on the within row, except for the front row. This created situations where drivers with slower lap times began significantly better than drivers with faster laps. It was frustrating to look at and it wasn't clear where many of the field began until the published showed the web. I definitely longed to return to the simpler days of single-round qualifying, where starting position was based solely on times from slowest to fastest.

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Busch Light Chevrolet Camaro, Pole Award

Photo: Gavin Baker / NKP / Motorsport Images

Well, wish come true! NASCAR will reintroduce single-round qualifying at most tracks in 2025, with just two rounds held at superspeedways. All of those changes are a step in the best direction and show that leaders are willing to listen (even in the event that they took longer to implement than needed). Giving teams more practice time, ensuring teams are properly prepared for Daytona 500 qualifying, and eliminating the confusion surrounding time trials are all positive things and hopefully an indication of fine changes to come back.