DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS
Budweiser will become the official title sponsor of Speedweeks – the ten-day stretch of stock-car races from the Shootout to the Daytona 500.
DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING
Budweiser also will secure entitlement of the Budweiser Duel at Daytona, two 150-mile qualifying races that determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500.
The qualifying will be the same. As you know, the front row is set from our Pole Day. Those times will set the Duels. How you finish in the Duels will set the field through the first 36 or so spots, and then we’ll go on with our provisionals and past champion. Qualifying will mean the same as it did, but the Duels will take on a larger role in making the Daytona 500. Basically it all wraps around it being the fastest cars and also the ones that perform in the Duels to set the 500 lineup.
TESTING
Each team will get four additional testing opportunities. If you’re a one car, a two, three or four car operation, you get four tests per organization. ANy testing at the beginning of the season at Daytona will not count against the teams.
For the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, starting in 2013, there will be up to two tests per organization at tracks where those series compete. If the organization has an official Sunoco Rookie of Year candidate, then that team will receive one additional test. Additionally, NASCAR will open track activity early for extended practice at two additional events per series, to be determined.
REDUCING THE NATIONWIDE SERIES FIELD
NASCAR stated it’s best served to reduce the field from 43 to 40 cars, and therefore it gives teams an opportunity to put a better quality field of cars in play at those Nationwide events.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will hold steady at 36.
NEW SPRINT CUP QUALIFYING FORMAT
In 2013, the qualifying order for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events will return to a random draw. However, in the event qualifying is canceled due to rain, the field will be set per the rule book and the starting lineup will continue to be determined by practice speeds.
In NASCAR Sprint Cup competition, the series will move to a 36-6-1 format where the fastest 36 cars will make the race on speed.
The next six highest ranking cars in owners points that have not already earned a starting position through qualifying and who have entered the event by the posted entry deadline will also make the field. The final starting position will be awarded to the most recent eligible past champion driver. If there is no eligible past champion driver, then a seventh car will make the field based upon owners’ points.
Provisional positions in the 36-6-1 format will be lined up by owners’ points, not speed.
Since 2005, the top 35 cars in owners’ points were guaranteed a spot in the field. Now, only a maximum of seven cars will be locked into a given race.
SPRINT CUP PROVISIONALS
Provisional positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be based upon the previous year’s owner points for the first three races, as opposed to the first five races in previous years for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and four races for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.