Back in the day, teams used to get enough track time through the practice sessions ahead of the race to make all the necessary adjustments. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, this long-running tradition took a back seat and even NASCAR was okay with not having the practice runs. For them, it was an economically feasible idea, but teams had to adapt and this new trend is now visible during the qualifying rounds.
Thanks to parity racing with the Next Gen car, the cars are now bunched up and passing opportunities are rare. The best way to have an advantage to win the race is now in the qualifying rounds. A good track position equals better results, but this in turn led to another major problem. And that is the NASCAR’s controversial qualifying format. Yes, apart from the infamous stage racing and playoff format, the qualifying procedure is also now under scrutiny. This problem became one of the big talking points in the latest episode of the Happy Hour podcast.
Right now 36 entries are divided into two groups and they have to undergo time trials. The fastest five cars from each group will advance to the next stage and compete for the pole. The rest of the field will be determined by how cars finished during their group runs. Group 1 will determine the outside row for starting positions 11-40, while the remaining cars from Group 2 will determine the inside row. But, the tricky element here is group assignments will be based on previous events. Group 1 consists of vehicles with higher performance metrics and Group 2 are the mid-pack and backmarkers.
Now, Harvick argues, the system just allows the top dogs to keep their advantage, making it tough for mid-tier and smaller teams to break through. “I think we should go back to the random draw,” Harvick said. “The rich get richer. And when you see the last car getting the pole, yeah, that’s great. But I think with the random draw, it mixes the field up. It adds a little bit more of that intrigue to the qualifying order because it’s different every week.” The former SHR driver said this on the Happy Hour podcast.
May 2, 2021; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) leads a pack of cars at Kansas Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Just a few years ago NASCAR had one-lap shootouts, not the confusing groupings and multiple rounds. Just take a look at the pole winners for the 2025 races so far. Chase Elliott was the one who bagged the pole during the Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium. At the first points-paying race, a JGR Toyota driven by Chase Briscoe stunned everyone. Ryan Blaney led the charge at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Tyler Reddick from 23XI Racing grabbed the pole award at COTA. And well, during the last Sunday’s race in Phoenix, it was William Byron starting in front of the grid.
So you see, this Harvick wants NASCAR to give the smaller teams a chance to start with an advantage. Parity racing and all is good but given how tough passing cars is on the track, with this qualifying system the mid-pack teams might be mid-pack only. Well, apart from the qualifying runs, Kevin Harvick was also livid with how NASCAR put itself in a tricky situation with its officiating. And let’s just he was blunt in calling out how they dealt with Austin Cindric’s penalty.
Kevin Harvick wants NASCAR to make the right calls
The incident between Austin Cindric and Ty Dillon dates back to the race weekend from COTA. The Pensker driver blatantly took out the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevy on the front stretch. We’ve seen NASCAR suspend drivers for right-hooking their rivals on the racetrack. Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace were suspended for similar actions, meanwhile, Auston Dillon’s playoff qualification was reversed last year at Richmond.
Given how serious NASCAR was why handing out the punishment to Austin Dillon, a similar result was expected with Cindric losing his cool at COTA. But, citing road course racing and no significant damage to either car, the sanctioning body docked 50 driver points for the No. 2 Team Penske driver and a fine of $50,000. This is something that caused a huge uproar within the NASCAR community and Harvick was riding the same wave.
“Whether you’re going 35 miles an hour or 135 miles an hour, he should have been suspended. You hooked them into the right rear, you’re done for the day. We will decide on Wednesday if you need more of a penalty. Right hook, left hook, road course, intermediate. I don’t give a sh-t where it is. Now they’ve made themselves look like fools that is so simple to call.” The former SHR driver vented out his frustration.
Well, it’s just four races into the season and NASCAR has already found itself on the bitter end of controversial decision. It’s about time they make some serious changes to how they officiate on-track incidents or they might be setting a new precedent with Cindric’s ruling.
The post “The Rich Get Richer”- Kevin Harvick Sounds Off on NASCAR’s Rinse & Repeat Accidentally Favoring the Sport’s Titans appeared first on EssentiallySports.
