Starting in 2027, NASCAR will throw out the controversial metric for setting starting grids when qualifying sessions get washed out, as Motorsport.com reports. Instead of using the weighted formula that punished teams for a bad weekend prior, starting lineups will be set cleanly by owner's points with the championship leader locking down the pole position.
Previously, the sanctioning body relied on a metric combining a car's place in the owner standings at thirty percent and its finish from the most recent race at seventy percent. That exact same formula determined qualifying order and acted as the backup wet weather lineup. It caused massive headaches when four of the first six Chase races suffered qualifying rainouts, trapping struggling teams at the back of the grid and robbing them of any chance to recover or score stage points.
John Probst, President of Event Management for NASCAR, confirmed the upcoming shift during a SiriusXM NASCAR interview on Friday. He pointed out that while the metric still works fine for setting the regular qualifying order, relying on it for complete washouts exposed clear flaws. By switching to owner's points, the math disappears entirely and fans get a much simpler starting grid.
Beyond rainouts, the sanctioning body is eyeing several other tweaks to the schedule and formats. Probst noted that superspeedway qualifying might get trimmed down to just a single round, and NASCAR is actively discussing bringing the wild All-Star qualifying format into regular points-paying races. That specific format forces drivers to complete multiple laps featuring a live pit stop right in the middle, shifting the focus from a pure solo driving effort to a combined team test.
While talks with teams are still ongoing for a handful of events next year, NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell also teased potential adjustments during his State of the Sport address. Although he stopped short of making any official announcements, he confirmed that fresh formats are being explored behind the scenes for the off-season.
