NASCAR will change how starting lineups are determined when qualifying is canceled beginning in 2027. John Probst, President of NASCAR Event Management, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Friday that starting lineups will be set strictly by owner points when qualifying cannot be held.
During his State of the Sport press conference Friday, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell admitted to concerns about the current formula, which factors in previous race results and owner points.
Probst confirmed the change, saying the existing formula created concerns about fairness, especially with several qualifying sessions canceled early in the season.
NASCAR is also considering additional qualifying changes for next season.
Probst said NASCAR could eliminate the second round of qualifying at superspeedways. The sanctioning body is also discussing the possibility of using an All-Star-style qualifying format at a limited number of races, incorporating a pit stop into the qualifying attempt.
👀 "We are looking at that All-Star style qualifying where you actually have a pit stop for maybe a very select few races next year."#NASCAR's John Probst shares thoughts on the metric, how it's being tweaked for 2027 and shares an update on qualifying procedure. pic.twitter.com/dsgb7NRVQi
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) November 6, 2026