The metric will no longer set the starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series
5 qualifying sessions were canceled in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season for 2026. Then, four more qualifying sessions have been canceled in The Chase alone.
When that happens, NASCAR sets the lineup by the metric. And, the fans hate it.
Metric Score = 70% the finishing position from the previous events + 30% of the current owner points.
John Probst, President of NASCAR Event Management confirmed that the race lineup will be set strictly by owner points when qualifying is canceled due to weather in 2027.
The second round of qualifying at superspeedways is also likely to be scrapped. But, they have not finalized that.
Additionally, NASCAR is considering using the qualifying format from the NASCAR All-Star race in some events. In that format, teams make a pit stop during their qualifying run.
John Probst comments on NASCAR qualifying
“A lot of the work we did on the metric where we take your finish from the week before and add that to your owner’s position serves a good purpose for qualifying,” John Probst stated via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“This year, I think we had four of our first six get rained out for qualifying. Then, you do see some of the potential unfairness.”
“What we’re going to do for 2027 is line them up by owners’ points. That will make it a little bit easier to explain to our fans, there’s no math.”
“I could see us making some Tweeks, maybe you’ll only have one round at the Superspeedeways. Not trying to break a whole lot of news but we are looking at that All-Star style qualifying for maybe a very select few races next year.”
“We’re still working on that with the teams. But, that is something we’d like to do next year for a handful of events.”
NASCAR is exploring a cost cap
Steve O’Donnell comments on qualifying
“The short answer is yes. But I think with some context,” Steve O’Donnell said of possible changes to qualifying before it was later confirmed by Probst.
“This wasn’t new, and I think it got lost with a lot of folks. This had been put in place back in COVID, and I think everybody just didn’t see it or didn’t read it, and all of a sudden we got rain, rain, rain, and it became a big issue or a big talking point. So that is something we’ll look at.”
“We’re also looking at tweaking qualifying a little bit at select events as well that I think the fans will embrace. Nothing to announce today, but we’ve got some good things working in the off-season, not only about tweaking what you talked about, but some different formats we can explore as well.”
