Coverage of Qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 7:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 7:00pm/et
Radio online at: PRN Live Streaming
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: 10:30pm/et

Track Qualifying Record: #38-Elliott Sadler, Oct 2005, 193.216mph

Coke 600 Qualifying Record: #12-Ryan Newman, May 2005, 192.988mph

Youngest Pole Winner: Jeff Gordon, 22 years, 2 months, 6 days, 10/10/1993

Oldest Pole Winner: Bobby Allison, 49 years, 10 months, 8 days, 10/11/1987

Fastest First Practice Speed: #9-Ambrose, 189.215mph, scheduled to qualify 47th out of 47 drivers

NOTE: no longer do semi-live qualifying on Jayski.com.
NASCAR.com and FoxSports have live realtime qualifying and hits for my qualifying pages were way down in 2011 due to the availabilty of the real-time qualifying found at those sites.
Will continue to post Jayski.com's unique qualifying results below, to help explain how drivers made the race.
For Realtime qualifying, check out:
NASCAR.com and FoxSports

Almirola wins pole at Charlotte: #43-Aric Almirola won the Coors Light pole for the Coca Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a speed of 192.940mph for his 1st pole of 2012 and 1st career pole. #9-Amrose was 2nd fastest [and makes it an all RPM front row] followed by #48-Johnson, #16-Biffle, #15-Bowyer, #55-Martin, #5-Kahne, #11-Hamlin, #27-Menard and #78-Smith.
#51-Busch wrecked on his first qualifying lap, spinning off turn 2 and nosing in to the inside wall, Busch will start 42nd and go to a backup car, falling to the rear of the field before the start of the race on Sunday. #10-Danica Patrick will start 40th.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #21-Bayne, #74-Whitt, #98-McDowell, #26-Wise, #33-Leicht, #30-Stremme, #95-Speed & #87-Nemechek.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (4): #19-Bliss, #73-Reutimann, #49-Yeley, #23-Riggs.
See qualifying results & starting lineup below or on the Starting Lineup page (pdf). (5-24-2012)

Qualifying Fast Facts -Charlotte Motor Speedway:
#43-Aric Almirola won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 53rd Annual COCA-COLA 600 with a lap of 27.988 seconds, 192.940 mph.
This is his first pole in 47 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and third top-10 start in 2012.
This is his first pole in one races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#9-Marcos Ambrose (second) posted his fourth top-10 start of 2012 and his first in seven races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#48-Jimmie Johnson (third) posted his 19th top-10 start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his seventh in 12 races this season.
#26-Josh Wise (33rd) was the fastest qualifying rookie. (NASCAR Statistics)(5-24-2012)

Pole Progression: (who had the pole first, who got it next and who ended up with it)
#23-Riggs, 1st out to qualify, 183.630mph, DNQ
#49-Yeley, 2nd out, 183.730mph, DNQ
#87-Nemechek, 4th out, 185.784, starts 43rd
#36-Blaney, 6th out, 186.111, starts 36th
#26-Wise, 7th out, 187.259, starts 33rd
#98-McDowell, 12th out, 187.487, starts 32nd
#1-McMurray, 13th out, 187.526, starts 31st
#13-Mears, 15th out, 188.363, starts 25th
#2-Keselowski, 17th out, 188.871, starts 24th
#17-Kenseth, 21st out, 189.607, starts 20th
#39-Newman, 27th out, 190.054, starts 16th
#78-Smith, 29th out, 190.456, starts 10th
#5-Kahne, 32nd out, 191.130, starts 7th
#48-Johnson, 37th out, 191.374, starts 3rd
#43-Almirola. 42nd out, 192.940, starts 1st

How did the non Top-35 teams do in qualifying?
Fastest 7 get in, 8th [43rd] spot goes to most recent past champ not in the race already or 8th fastest
[47 entered for 43 spots]:
have qualified for the race:
#21-Trevor Bayne. 190.268
#74-Cole Whitt, 188.324
#98-Michael McDowell, 187.487
#26-Josh Wise#, 187.259
#33-Stephen Leicht#, 187.169
#30-David Stremme, 186.143
#95-Scott Speed, 185.976
#87-Joe Nemechek, 185.784
will miss the race:
#19-Mike Bliss, 185.548
#73-David Reutimann, 185.338
#49-J.J. Yeley, 183.730
#23-Scott Riggs, 183.630

Race info at: Race Info Page

Event Entry List

Past Champions Provisional page

All Time Sprint Cup Pole Winners

Thursday practice for the Coca Cola 60 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top-5, slowest and any notes:
#9-Ambrose 189.215
#83-Cassill 189.182
#22-Allmendinger 188.409
#16-Biffle 188.344
#15-Bowyer 188.016
slowest: #23-Riggs 181.843 & #49-Yeley 182.822
See fastest speeds, best ten-lap averages, laps run and more on the Charlotte Practice 1 Speeds (pdf), no average speeds all laps and NOT changing back to the old way, just posting the pdf's.(5-24-2012)

Go-or-go homers rank in practice for the Coca Cola 60 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. These drivers are not in the top-35 of team owners points and must qualify by speed for the race, eight will make the race and four will miss the race.
If things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#21-Trevor Bayne, 15th fastest overall
#74-Cole Whitt, 29th
#30-David Stremme, 30th
#98-Michael McDowell, 36th
#73-David Reutimann, 37th
#95-Scott Speed, 38th
#33-Stephen Leicht#, 39th
#26-Josh Wise#, 41st
If things stay the same, these four drivers would miss the race:
#19-Mike Bliss, 43rd
#87-Joe Nemechek, 44th
#49-J.J. Yeley, 46th
#23-Scott Riggs, 47th/last
(5-24-2012)

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying procedures:
1) qualifying order will be determined by the driver's fastest lap in first practice.
2) times on the speed sheet will be inverted with the slowest cars attempting their qualifying runs first
3) go-or-go-home cars will now qualify among the 35 teams locked in on owner points and not be separated by the field. 4) the NASCAR Sprint Cup director does reserve the right to change a driver's qualifying order or allow "adjustments or repairs" to cars after the car has taken the green flag at the start/finish line.
5) all cars must qualify with a full fuel cell.
6) qualifying consists of two consecutive timed laps (except at road courses, 1 lap)
7) the fastest lap determines qualifying position
8) in case of a rain-out of practice, a random drawing will be held for cars set up in the garage area to determine qualifying order
9) if qualifying is rained out, the order of the field will be set according to Section 9-5 of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup rule book.

If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.(NASCAR)(7-7-2011)

Past Champions Provisional Berths in Sprint Cup: A past champion's provisional may be used by an eligible driver a maximum of six times over the course of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. A team with a past champion eligible driver may only use this provisional a maximum of six times during a season. The provisional gives the eligible driver the 43rd and final starting position in the race field. This is only for a team/driver OUTSIDE the top-35 in owners points, drivers whose team is in the top-35 in owners points, would already be guaranteed in the field and not need the Past Champions Provisional
See my Past Champions Provisional Page for more.

What happens if all qualifying gets cancelled [rain/weather/other]?
If bad weather cancels qualifying, the final starting lineup will be determined by practice speeds. The same rule book procedures will be used to determine eligibility to start a race. If weather cancels practice sessions, then the starting lineup will be set by points, per the rule book.

If qualifying AND all practices are cancled, then:
If it is during the first 5 races of the season, the previous season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - Previous season Owner Points [position 1-35][team does not have to attempt all the races]
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Sprint Cup Champions not in by 1 or 2
#4) - Current season Owner Position [Top 35][not in by rules 1-3]
#5) - Current season race attempts ties broken by current owners position [not in by rules 1-4]
#6) - For 2nd race of season, teams that missed Daytona 500, are seeded in owners points by thier finish in the Duels
#7) - Randon Draw if more then one team with no attempts

If qualifying is cancled by at least one practice gets run, then:
If it is the first 5 races of the season, the previous season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - Previous season Owner Points [position 1-35][team does not have to attempt all the races]
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Sprint Cup Champions not in by 1 or 2
#4) - Current season Owner Position [Top 35][not in by rules 1-3]
#5) - Current season race attempts ties broken by current owners position [not in by rules 1-4]
#6) - For 2nd race of season, teams that missed Daytona 500, are seeded in owners points by thier finish in the Duels
#7) - Randon Draw if more then one team with no attempts
#8) - One it is determined which teams/driver made the race, then the field is set by 1st practice speeds.

What happens if just qualifying is cancelled?
If it is during the first 5 races of the season, the previous season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - Previous season Owner Points [position 1-35][team does not have to attempt all the races]
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Sprint Cup Champions not in by 1 or 2
#4) - Current season Owner Position [Top 35][not in by rules 1-3]
#5) - Current season race attempts ties broken by current owners position [not in by rules 1-4]
#6) - For 2nd race of season, teams that missed Daytona 500, are seeded in owners points by thier finish in the Duels
#7) - Randon Draw if more then one team with no attempts
#8) - One it is determined which teams/driver made the race, then the field is set by 1st practice speeds.

What happens if just qualifying is cancelled?
AFTER the 5th race of the season, the current season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - First 35 by current Owner Points [team does not have to attempt all the races]
#2) - Last Years Sprint Cup Champ or the Event Champion if not already in the field
#3) - Car Owners whose team has won in the previous and current season not already in the field
#4) - Drivers who have won in the previous and current season not already in the field
#5) - Past Sprint Cup Champions not in by 1 thru 4
#6) - Qualifying Attempts with current Owners points as the tie breaker
#7) - NASCAR will hold a draw for teams with no owners points / attempts
#8) - One it is determined which teams/driver made the race, then the field is set by 1st practice speeds.

NOTE: all above apply as long as the team was entered by the entry deadline - usually 7-13 days before the race

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying procedures:
1) qualifying order will be determined by the driver's fastest lap in first practice.
2) times on the speed sheet will be inverted with the slowest cars attempting their qualifying runs first
3) go-or-go-home cars will now qualify among the 35 teams locked in on owner points and not be separated by the field. 4) the NASCAR Sprint Cup director does reserve the right to change a driver's qualifying order or allow "adjustments or repairs" to cars after the car has taken the green flag at the start/finish line.
5) all cars must qualify with a full fuel cell.
6) qualifying consists of two consecutive timed laps (except at road courses, 1 lap)
7) the fastest lap determines qualifying position
8) in case of a rain-out of practice, a random drawing will be held for cars set up in the garage area to determine qualifying order
9) if qualifying is rained out, the order of the field will be set according to Section 9-5 of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup rule book.