NASCAR has unveiled significant changes to the practice and qualifying formats ahead of the 2025 national series seasons.
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According to a press release, formats in all three series will undergo changes, the biggest of which is an extension of practice. Teams will now have 25-minute sessions for the majority of events at short tracks, road courses, and intermediates. The majority of superspeedways will not have practice ahead of qualifying.
One important note is that Cup teams will have two separate 25-minute sessions at road courses while Xfinity and Truck Series teams will each take part in single, 50-minute sessions at road courses.
#NASCAR has adjusted practice and qualifying for next season. Some important notes:
*Primarily 25-minute practice sessions
*1 qualifying round for intermediates, short tracks, and road courses. 2 rounds for superspeedway.
*Daytona 500 practice before qualifying. pic.twitter.com/R0L5D2QOxm— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) December 12, 2024
Another big change for 2025 is that Cup teams will have a practice session before qualifying for the Daytona 500. This was a sticking point for teams and drivers in past seasons considering that they were unable to get any laps after the offseason.
Once again, NASCAR will have a select number of races featuring extended practice sessions. This group includes the following races:
- Cup Series — The Clash at Bowman Gray, DAYTONA 500, COTA, All-Star Race, Mexico City, Indianapolis, and Phoenix Championship
- Xfinity Series — February Daytona, Rockingham, Mexico City, Indianapolis, WWTR, and Phoenix Championship
- Truck Series — Daytona, Rockingham, Michigan, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, New Hampshire, Charlotte Roval, and Phoenix Championship
The other major change for the 2025 season involves qualifying, especially in the Cup Series. The majority of tracks will feature one round of qualifying with the fastest lap winning the pole. Superspeedways will be the only tracks that still send 10 drivers to a final round of qualifying.
Truck, Xfinity, and Cup teams will have one round of qualifying at short tracks with each driver completing two laps. Standard tracks will have one round of qualifying with each driver completing one lap.
Road courses will feature the drivers split into two groups. Each group will have 20 minutes to qualify with multiple cars on track at the same time.
How will fans watch practice and qualifying in 2025? The new format will potentially create some confusion.
Fox Sports will broadcast Cup practice and qualifying for The Clash, the Daytona 500, and the All-Star Race. Fox Sports will also broadcast practice and qualifying for the Truck Series events.
Prime Video will broadcast Cup practice and qualifying for the rest of the events during the first half of the season. TNT Sports will broadcast Cup practice and qualifying during the second half of the season. These sessions will air on Max and truTV.
NASCAR and CW Sports will provide details about Xfinity Series practice and qualifying at a later date.
