The 2015 Daytona 500 is upon us, and so is the official end of the single-car qualifying era.
2015 Daytona 500 qualifying: Time, TV schedule and live stream
The Great American Race finally joins the era of pack qualifying.
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Last season, every race switched from the decades-old qualifying format to a new “pack” qualifying style. Every race, that is, except for the Daytona 500. NASCAR’s biggest race was also its final single-car qualifying holdout, which benefited then-rookie Austin Dillon in his quest to claim the 2014 pole.
During qualifying on Sunday, Dillon and his peers will have to factor in the aerodynamics of their opponents on the draft-heavy racetrack. Qualifying will begin at 1 p.m. ET on Fox, and will consist of three rounds with the first divided into two groups decided by a random pre-event draw.
The first group will be headlined by Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and defending champion Kevin Harvick. The second group contains Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. Expect those three to help each other as much as possible while drafting negotiations ensue.
Gordon already seems to have a leg up on the competition, having led the final Sprint Cup Unlimited practice on Friday. In fact, eight of the top 10 cars in the final practice were Chevrolets.
The new pack-based format was widely praised last season, but some drivers have expressed disdain for having it in effect for the Daytona 500. Kyle Busch has been particularly critical, saying gaining the pole at Daytona is now “circumstantial.”
The week leading up to qualifying hasn’t been kind to a couple of drivers. Both 2014 Sprint Cup runner-up Ryan Newman and Ryan Truex, Jr. experienced engine problems on Friday. While Truex was able to fix the issue without changing the engine, Newman was forced to switch to a backup car for the remainder of Daytona 500 race week.
Date: Feb. 15
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Racetrack: Daytona International Speedway
TV: Fox
Announcers: Mike Joy plus analysts Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds in the booth. Jamie Little, Chris Neville, and Matt Yocum are on pit road.
Online: Fox Sports GO
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