NASCAR has adopted a new procedure for establishing the starting race fields in the NASCAR Busch Series that will go into effect this season, NASCAR officials announced today. NASCAR has changed the system by simplifying the procedure with teams no longer accruing provisionals throughout the season to gain entry into the starting fields. While starting positions one through 42 in the NASCAR Busch Series still will be determined by qualifying speed, the new system will assure the highest-ranked 30 positions of the NASCAR Busch Series owner championship points that have entered the event prior to the entry deadline one of those starting positions in the field, providing they have made an attempt to qualify. The remaining 12 positions will be assigned to those drivers with the fastest qualifying speeds whose car owners are not among the top 30. The final starting position the champions provisional can be utilized by a car owner whose driver is a current or past NASCAR Busch Series champion who participated as a driver during their 2004 season and was entered in the event for that owner in that car prior to the entry deadline. If there is more than one series champion vying for the position, it will be given to the most recent series champion. If the final provisional starting position 43rd in the NASCAR Busch Series is not filled by a current or past series champion, it will be assigned to the next eligible car owner according to qualifying results. Through the first five races of the season for the NASCAR Busch Series, the top 30 of the 2004 owner championship points entered in the event prior to the entry deadline will be assured one of the 42 starting positions in the field, provided they have made an attempt to qualify. In addition, the owners entry must have made an attempt to qualify in all 34 events in 2004 to be eligible for one of those 30 positions. From the sixth race on, the highest-ranked 30 positions of the current owner championship points will be assured one of those positions as long as their entry has made an attempt to qualify in the previous 2005 events up to that point. In the event that conditions prevent qualifying from being run, starting positions will be assigned according to the respective series 2005 Rule Book.(NASCAR PR)(1-13-2005)
