Cars outside top 35 will qualify together, NASCAR's Darby confirms

DAVID POOLE

The Charlotte Observer

Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Cars not guaranteed starting spots because they’re not in the top 35 in car owner points will qualify together at the beginning of qualifying sessions in 2008, Nextel Cup Series director John Darby confirmed Saturday.

“We’ll group them up front,” Darby said in the garage at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Qualifying order for all cars entered in Cup events has been set by a random draw. But some complained that “go-or-go-home” cars qualifying early or late in the draw, depending on weather and track conditions, might have an unfair advantage toward making the race on speed.

Darby said that NASCAR could have changed the rule during the season. “But then if you think you missed a race because of where you qualified in February or March, and we change it in April, people would have said that’s not fair,” Darby said.

“We thought it would be better to say that as of Jan. 1, 2008, this is the way we’re going to do it.”

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