NASCAR Talladega 2014 qualifying results: Drivers confused, angered by qualifying rules

With drivers unsure about the exact rules and many cars sitting on pit road for much of the time, NASCAR staged a peculiar qualifying session Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, leaving some notable names going home and anger permeating the garage.

Brian Vickers (196.129 mph) captured the pole-position, while notables Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Allgaier and Reed Sorenson all failed to qualify for Sunday’s Geico 500.

The confusion centered on a revision NASCAR enacted last month, which shortened the length of each session and divided the first of three rounds into two segments to better disperse drivers and limit large packs from forming. The rule changes were applicable only at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway, the two restrictor-plate tracks.

But drivers admitted Friday they were uncertain about the new procedures and that carried over to time trials Saturday afternoon. Not wanting to be the first car on the track, many drivers waited until the final minutes before rolling off pit road.

The tactic saw many drivers scramble in the waning moments just to record a lap or have to make a single-car run and without the aid of the draft. In some instances drivers had their laps disallowed because they failed to cross the start/finish line before time expired.

Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon all needed a provisional to make the starting lineup. Hamlin, Busch and Gordon are in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and need strong finishes Sunday to avoid elimination.

“This qualifying is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Harvick said. “It just doesn’t work on the speedways.”

Many drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., openly lobbied for a return to single-car qualifying, while others suggested NASCAR use heat races to determine the lineup. Danica Patrick, Stenhouse’s girlfriend, took to Twitter to vent her frustration.

Jimmie Johnson, AJ Allmendinger Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski completed the top five qualifiers. The defending series champion, Johnson likely needs a win Sunday if he is to advance in the Chase.

“There were a lot of strategies being put into use,” Johnson said. “Having to really come through and work out for you is just the toughest thing, because 20 some guys and a lady have an idea of what is going to work and timing that right and finding what works for you is impossible. Not impossible, just the odds very low.”

The confusion didn’t end after qualifying. NASCAR later disallowed Joe Nemechek’s time due to an improperly-sealed oil tank encasement. Sorenson, who was the fastest of the non-qualified cars, moved to 36th on the grid.