How does NASCAR’s Daytona 500 qualifying work? Exploring the format of the Great American Race

Modified Feb 14, 2024 14:05 GMT

NASCAR Cup Series 65th Annual Daytona 500 - Busch Light Pole Qualifying (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The Daytona 500 is the most prestigious race in the Cup Series season calendar and is revered as the 'Superbowl of NASCAR'. Given its immense significance, the qualifying format for this season-opening race differs from the usual weekend formats.

The starting grid for the Daytona 500 consists of 40 cars, with 36 of these spots reserved for drivers of teams owning a charter. The remaining four spots are filled by part-time entrants, who do not own a charter and are often referred to as the 'open cars'.

For the 2024 Daytona 500, 42 teams are registered for the event, with only four of the six open cars making it to the starting grid.

After passing the technical inspection, all entrants participate in the single-car qualifying session on Wednesday night. Each driver has to put in a single-timed lap with the top 10 fastest drivers advancing into the second round.

The two fastest drivers in the second round will lock in the front row for the 500-mile race, with the pole awarded to the fastest driver.

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From the time set in the qualifying session, drivers are evenly split into two groups for the "Duel races". The charter teams qualifying first, third, fifth,.. etc., are put in the first duel and the charter teams qualifying second, fourth, sixth, etc., are put in the second duel. Similarly, the open cars are each put in a duel race.

The 150-mile Duel races are scheduled on Thursday night, with the finishing order of the first duel race setting the inside row of the Daytona 500 starting grid. The finishing order of the second duel fills the outside row, with the first row already locked in by the fastest qualifiers. The last row is for the open cars advancing on their qualifying times.

The fastest two open qualifiers on Wednesday night are guaranteed a spot in the main event. The scenario for the third and fourth fastest open cars depends on their relative finishing order to the open cars of the duel race, but they can fall back to their qualifying time to advance.

The open drivers qualifying fifth or higher should beat the rest of the open cars in their duel race to qualify for the main event.