Adjustments Allowed in Cup Qualifying

NASCAR announced minor changes to its new qualifying procedure Thursday morning that includes allowing teams to make adjustments during the sessions.

NASCAR previously announced that adjustments only would be allowed during breaks between the qualifying rounds. That was done to limit the number of crewmembers on pit lane with cars on the track.

Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition, said that nearly unanimous support from teams in NASCAR’s three national series swayed officials to allow changes during qualifying.

Teams will be allowed to change the tape on the front grille and adjust tire pressure, trackbar and wedge during the session. One crew member only will be allowed to service the car during the sessions.

The exception is at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR also announced, as expected, it was changing the qualifying format at road courses from three rounds to two rounds based on team feedback.

NASCAR’s new qualifying procedure begins next week for Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series teams at Daytona. Sprint Cup teams won’t use the new qualifying format until Phoenix.