NASCAR teams and fans who have been longing for the return of practice and qualifying on race weekends will be happy to know that both are back for the 2022 season, the governing body announced Friday.
But it’s a bit different than the formats before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which forced NASCAR to limit travel days and the amount of time people spend together at the track. In 2022, all races in all three national NASCAR series will feature practice and qualifying, and it includes what NASCAR described as a “knockout-style” format.
“I miss it,” Martin Truex Jr. said about practice and qualifying ahead of the championship race earlier this month at Phoenix Raceway. “Miss hanging out with the guys, spending more time with them and really kind of getting in depth on getting the car right and what we think the track is going to do and all that kind of stuff. …
“Sometimes you go with a gut instinct and it doesn’t work, and then sometimes you go with a gut instinct and you kick everybody’s ass. Know what I mean? At least we have a little bit of a sanity check on the car as far as that goes.”
Here’s a breakdown of NASCAR’s new practice and qualifying formats for the Cup Series during the 2022 season.
