Is the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series headed to same-day qualifying and racing?

A season full of changes could still have another big one in store.

A NASCAR weekend is so named because it features for than just the Cup Series race. Often there’s an accompanying XFINITY or Truck Series race, and sometimes both. Even when that’s not the case, the Cup Series drivers have qualifying and practice before race day.

But maybe not for long. A little digging by Catchfence (with a pit cap h/t to Jayski) found that the June 11 Pocono race was listed on NASCAR’s mobile app as having qualifying the same day as the Pocono 400, roughly three hours before the start of the race. NASCAR did not officially comment on whether or not this will actually be the case.

That follows on the heels of Lee Spencer’s piece on Motorsport that speculated about one-day shows coming soon, with Brad Keselowski offering this perspective:

"“If you move qualifying closer to the race, you get that day back which is so important to everyone’s quality of life in this sport.”"

Indeed, NASCAR drivers have among the most hectic schedules of any athletes due to the sheer length of the season and the constant travel involved. Getting them even one extra day to unwind each week could be huge.

It’s hard to imagine that same-day qualifying would have been practical under older schedules with many green flags around 1 p.m. local time, but the later starts on the 2017 calendar make it more possible. It’s interesting to note that the first of the later Sunday afternoon times is at the first Pocono race, which starts a stretch where six of the next eight Sunday afternoon races are at 3 p.m. Eastern.

All of those would allow for noon-ish qualifying if that’s the direction that NASCAR is leaning. Or it could be that Pocono will simply be a test run for a change at a later time — perhaps in 2018 if the powers that be already think there is enough in flux this year.

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It almost goes without saying that same-day qualifying and racing could be a boon for tracks (getting more fans in earlier, where they can spend money) and fans (who get a little bit more bang for their buck). Keep an eye out for a potential announcement over the weeks to come, as this is one change that stands to benefit everyone in the sport.