NASCAR’s knack for shaking things up a bit here and there isn’t going anywhere. When it comes to qualifying, the rules are pretty straightforward. Each driver gets their moment in the spotlight for two timed laps, flying solo on the track. The order in which they hit the asphalt is the reverse of their practice times from the previous day, going from the slowest to the quickest. But remember, only the front row for The Great American Race gets locked in after these time trials. Over in the Daytona 500, there’s a step process – Qualifying (one round of single vehicle Qualifying) and then two 150-mile Qualifying Races.

However, there’s a twist – the second Daytona race doesn’t allow any practice at all. And it’s in Daytona where the cream of the crop, the top ten overall, make it to the final round. The pole round follows the same drill. But there’s a new wrinkle in the plan this time. According to NASCAR’s latest schedule on their official page, the practice sessions are set to take place after the qualifying rounds. This switcheroo hasn’t slipped past the sharp-eyed fans, who’ve been quick to point it out.

Has the Daytona 500 schedule gotten a bit of a shake-up?

In the Cup Series’ oval races, which are the bread and butter of the 36-race calendar, they split the field into two groups. These are based on the odd and even finishes from the last race. Dubbed Groups A and B, each gang gets a 15-minute warm-up practice session. Then, it’s off to the qualifying races where the top performers advance to the final showdown.

For the winding road courses, the drill is pretty similar with Groups A and B each getting 20 minutes to strut their stuff. Then there’s the Bristol Dirt race, which dances to its own beat. Here, the lineup and starting spots come from the results of four separate qualifying races. And Daytona 500? It’s got its flavor too. The starting positions are decided by the outcome of two 60-lap skirmishes, known as the Duels at Daytona 500, which happen the Thursday before the big race.

The usual NASCAR Cup Series routine is a day of practice and qualifying on Friday, another practice round on Saturday morning, and then the race on Sunday. If it’s a Saturday night race, they skip the second practice. For impound races, they stick to the three-day routine, but with qualifying happening after Saturday’s practice.

This year again like in 2023, with Daytona’s Qualifying happening before the Duels, fans are left scratching their heads, trying to make heads or tails of the switch-up. The puzzle started because, up until 2022, the rhythm was more familiar – Practice 1, Practice 2, Single Car qualifying, Cup Series Qualifying Race #1, Cup Series Qualifying Race #2, NASCAR Cup Series third practice, NASCAR Cup Series final practice, and then finally, NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (200 laps).

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But from 2023, they’ve shuffled the deck, putting Qualifying right before Practices 1 and 2. This change has left NASCAR enthusiasts in a bit of a muddle, wondering why the change and what it means for the race they know and love. Some are throwing their support behind NASCAR, recognizing that the Daytona 500 always dances to its own beat.

NASCAR fans are at a crossroads, trying to figure out if the Daytona schedule is a fresh take or just a little twist on the old

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The confusion kicked off when a fan posted the schedule showing Qualifying on Feb 15, followed by Practice 1 and 2 on the 16th and 17th, with the race on the 18th for the Daytona 500. This left everyone scratching their heads – isn’t practice supposed to come before qualifying?

One fan, too overwhelmed with the change, exclaimed, “Nascar has f**ked this all up…” Meanwhile, another chimed in with a shrug, “Thats nothing new.” Another fan jumped in, baffled, “Open teams showing up to the biggest race of the year without a chance to practice or shake down the car is absolutely ridiculous.”

Some stepped in to clear the air, “Not a dumb question, we all had questions at one point. I’m going to try and explain it correctly. There will be a random drawing for the starting order of qualifying for the 500.” Someone else tried to shed light on the rationale, “it usually isnt like this but the past few years NASCAR had the brilliant idea to let teams qualify and race the duels before any practice. Why? “cost saving” i guess but like i dont get it either.”

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Then there was the fan who pointed the finger at NASCAR’s love for complexity, “It’s not NASCAR if they don’t make something as confusing as possible.” But not everyone’s up in arms. Some fans are looking at it logically,  “Single Car Qualifying is Feb 14th. The Duels are Feb 15th, those are technically “qualifying” races so maybe that’s why its printed like that.” Another pondered, “One theory could be to show up in qualifying trim and lay down a lap. After that you have two sessions to make it handle.”

So, what’s your take on this debatable new scheduling twist? Has it been made more confusing for the viewer or more competitive for the drivers?