ARCA To Use New Qualifying Format For Charlotte Event

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will utilize a timed qualifying session format when the series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24 for the first time in 14 years.

It’s the first time in series history that ARCA will set the starting field via timed session qualifying. The session will begin when the command from the tower is given to release the cars coming off pit road. Teams will have the option of when to leave pit road to make their qualifying run, as well as how many laps they run. When a car returns to pit road, its qualifying attempt is complete.

When time expires in the scheduled session, qualifying will be complete regardless of where the cars are on the track. A car’s best lap time from the session will become the official time of record. Regardless of the time remaining, the qualifying session will be considered complete once all cars have made qualifying attempts.

“The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has implemented group qualifying at road courses and at the Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway venues in recent years," said ARCA President Ron Drager. “The timed session qualifying procedure makes the most efficient use of the time available to complete a qualifying session providing each team with an equal opportunity to win the General Tire Pole Award."