NASCAR: Expect more Saturday qualifying going forward
By Nick Tylwalk
Same-day qualifying hasn’t been a favorite throughout the garage, so Saturday seems like a logical compromise.
In its ongoing efforts to balance the needs of team owners, tracks and fans, NASCAR hasn’t been afraid to tinker with the traditional way of doing things at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series level.
Most races have historically been three-day affairs, with qualifying on Friday ahead of a Sunday race. There are exceptions, but that schedule has long been the norm at most series stops.
NASCAR has been experimenting with same-day qualifying at select events this season, trying it recently at both Pocono and Watkins Glen. That allows teams to show up a full day later than normal, as there is Cup Series practice on Saturday and then qualifying and the race on Sunday.
But it hasn’t necessarily been a hit with the teams since a wreck in qualifying means little time to fix a car before the race. Thus, it’s not surprising to hear NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer tell SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (via NBC Sports) that he has another scheduling solution in mind going forward.
"“Tend to like the qualifying, if we’re going to move it, on Saturday. I think that is a really good experience for fans in terms of having that support race and being able to see the Monster Energy Series drivers qualify. So we’ll probably continue to look that way.”"
Saturday qualifying prior to an XFINITY Series race seems like a near perfect compromise solution for all involved. It allows the teams to forego a third day at the track, assuming they would still get practice time before qualifying. And it allows tracks to capitalize on Cup Series star power prior to the XFINITY race — even more important now that Cup Series drivers will be competing less on the junior circuit.
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Even better, crew chiefs and mechanics will be able to rest easier knowing they have a full day instead of merely a few hours if disaster strikes during qualifying. Not every change NASCAR makes is for the better, but Saturday qualifying sounds like an idea worth exploring more, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it happen as soon as the 2018 season.