With the exception of the Daytona 500 and the three non-points races (the Bud Shoot-out, the Winston Open and the Winston Select), generally the top 25 lap speeds in miles per hour (mph) qualify for the upcoming event on the first day/night of qualifying. The second day of qualifying is for any drivers who wish to "sit" on their speeds or make a second attempt at qualifying to improve their position on the grid. Even if the second attempt is slower than the first, it goes down as their qualifying time. It is (theoretically) possible for the driver 26th on the starting grid to have a faster qualifying speed than the pole sitter.

Qualifying speeds are taken until enough drivers have qualified to make the field. The rest of the starting grid is determined by provisionals.

NASCAR changes the provisional rules from year to year (and sometimes during the year). These were the provisional rules as of the 1998 season.

WC Provisional starts are available for any team unlike 1997 when only teams in the Top 40 of owner's points could use one. Note that provisional eligibility is determined by the points order for the car OWNERS, not the drivers. In the first four races of the year, car owner standings from the previous season are used. After that the standings from the current season are taken instead. Each team is given four provisional starts to use after the fourth race of the season. The team is then given one additional provisional after the 8th, 16th, 24th, and 32nd race in which they attempt to qualify.

There will be 7 provisional starting positions awarded for each race in 1998. The 43rd starting position will be awarded to a past champion if needed, otherwise it will be a normal provisional starting position. The provisional starting positions will be given out based on the current owner's points standings. Any owner that is currently in the Top 25 of owner's points will get a provisional without having it subtracted from the number of provisionals that NASCAR has given them. Owners outside of the Top 25 in owner's points will have a provisional subtracted for each one they use. The use of the Champion's Provisional is not counted against the team's provisionals.

Other provisionals are possible should the race be a combination event with another series, such as the Busch North series with BGN events.

This page was last updated on June 11, 1999.

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