NASCAR's Competition Department distributes entry blanks for each race to owners in the series.
Those entries must be returned before the deadline, which is set 13 days in advance of the event.
When the entry is received by Competition, the car is added to the entry list.
There is an inspection fee for each entry.

2011 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
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
9) if qualifying is rained out, the order of the field will be set according to Section 9-5 of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup rule book.

What happens if 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]
#1a) - the first 35 are then set by the first practice speeds
#2) - Last Years 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 Owners points as the tie breaker
#6a) - then set by first practice speeds
#7) - NASCAR will hold a draw for teams with no owners points / attempts
(all above apply as long as the team was entered by the entry deadline - usually 7-13 days before the race)

If qualifying AND all practices are rained out or cancelled
the teams making the race would be:
#71, 37th in Owners pts, 17 attempts
#38, 38th, 17
#37, 39th, 17
#46, 40th, 17
#66, 41st, 17
#87, 42nd, 17
#60, 43rd, 17
#81, 47th, 7
missing the race would be:
#30, 44th, 6
#50, 50th, 4
#50, 50th, 3
#15, 46th, 2
#95, 48th, 2
#77, 53rd, 2

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Kentucky:
No changes in the top-35, the #7 increases it's pts lead over the #21 to 10 pts.
32) #32-Bliss/FAS Lane, 251, +47
33) #36-Blaney/TBR, 249, +45
34) #13-Mears/Germain, 242, +38
35) #7-RGordon/RGM, 214, 10 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #21-Bayne/Wood Brothers, 204, 10 points out of top 35
37) #71-Lally/TRG, 202, -12
38) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 189, -25
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(7-2-2011)

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 2011 Past Champions Provisional Page for more.