Provisional starting spots

[marcus]

Im sure this has been asked before in this forum ..but with just 3 hours to go until the start of the brickyard 400 I went along to the nascar site to have a look at the grid..(well done to Darrell Waltrip i must add..hope the race goes just as well as qualifying)

but provisional starting spots confuse me a little bit ..firstly i dont believe they should be there...because it should be the fastest 43 cars that make the grid..but how the heck do they work em..this was my thinking on the matter..if a driver is a former series champion they automatically get the chance to take a provisional if they desire...
thats probably wrong as I was browsing the grid and noticed that several drivers have taken provisionals including Stacy Compton, Matt Kenseth, Chad Little and several others and as far as I can tell none of them have been winston cup champion before...so now im under the impression that it is possibly drivers champions and possibly teams that have won the series before ..just as a guess.

anyway if someone could explain this too me it would help my enjoyment of the races as I spend a heap of the time trying to work this little quandry out instead of enjoying the racing..

GO DW !!!!

(But my money is on Rusty or dale Jnr)

[Gerard]

Hi marcus, I don't want to take anything away from our Nascar experts like Joe or Redneck, but this is what I found at Jayski's site:

What is a provisional starting spot?

Six provisional starting spots are available for positions 37-42. These positions are based on the current NASCAR Winston Cup Series car OWNER points. The 43rd and final starting position is available to any eligible past NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion who fails to make the field through qualifying, starting with the most recent champion. If there are no eligible past champions, the 43rd spot will be filled through current NASCAR Winston Cup Series car OWNER points, with the team highest in the OWNER points, not in the field, getting the spot.

Why does NASCAR use the provisional starting system?

The theory, from what I am told, is that it protects the teams that attempt to make all the races. It allows a team to 'have a bad day' if they fail to qualify for the race or encounter problems.

How many provisionals per race?

There are seven provisional positions and a starting field to 43 cars every race. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on OWNERS points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not OTHERWISE qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the OWNER points will be awarded a provisional. There is not a Winston West Provisional available for any of the west coast races.

How are provisionals awarded?

Teams are awarded a provisional spot based on the teams position in the OWNERS points. OWNERS and DRIVERS points are different. Teams that use more then one driver during a season still generate OWNERS points for the same team/owner.

Teams who have attempted ALL the Cup races get the provisional awarded first, then it goes down the order by attempts, then OWNERS points.

How are provisionals awarded at the beginning of the season?

In 2000(as in 1999), provisional starting positions 37-42 will be awarded based on OWNERS points. The 43rd spot is awarded to any Past Champion who is not otherwise eligible. If no past champion needs the provisional it falls back to the next un-qualified team in the owners points. The previous season OWNERS point standings will be used through the fourth race at Atlanta. Starting with the fifth race at Darlington the current season OWNER points standings are used to determine provisional starting spots.

New teams start out the season with ZERO provisionals until the fifth race (Atlanta), UNLESS, the driver is a past WINSTON CUP champion, then the team can use the final provisional spot. The team is deducted a provisional if used in this manner(like the #66 team and Darrell Waltrip in 1999)

How many provisionals are the teams allotted for the season?

Each existing team starts the season with four (4) and earns one more after their eighth (Martinsville), 16th (Sears Point), 24th (Darlington) and 32nd (Phoenix) attempted race. So if a team is out of provisionals going into the 8th race and they make a qualifying run, they earn a provisional and can use it in that race if their speed does not get them into the field.
New teams are allotted their provisionals starting at the fifth race of the season, Darlington in 2000

In reality, teams are not really allotted provisionals but are charged one if used, unless they are in the top 25 in OWNERS points. The rule is 'a team can use four charged provisionals starting spots in the first 7 races of the season. If a team is in the top 25, they will not be charged a provisional. So if a team was out of the top 25 in owners points and is charged all four provisionals and then gets into the top 25, that team can still use a provisional spot because it will NOT be charged

How do the OWNERS get points? How do they differ from the DRIVERS points?

All teams, who pass inspection and fail to make the race, get OWNER points based on the fastest non-qualifier to the slowest earn the position/points immediately below the last car in the field. These points will be included with those earned from the races to establish car/owner priority in gaining a provisional for the race. The driver get NO points for making an attempt, this is why OWNERS points and DRIVERS points for the same team will sometimes differ, if a driver misses a race. Points are awarded as follows: fastest who fails to qualify gets 31 points, then it goes in order: 28,25,22,19,16,13,10,7,4,1 - all remaining car owners get 1 point for the team race attempt.

Are there any restrictions using a provisional?

There is no longer a restriction to that a team has to be in Top 40 in OWNER points to be eligible to be awarded a provisional starting spot(this was changed prior to the 1998 season).

If a team is currently in the top 25 in owner points, a provisional start is awarded but a provisional is not charged against the total allowed. Only teams 26th or worse in OWNERS points will be charged a provisional. If a team stays in the top 25 all season, it can use a provisional spot for every race.

What happens if at least 43 cars attempt a race but more then one team is out of provisionals and fails to qualify for the race with still a spot open in the field?

If one or a few of the teams without provisionals fail to get in on speed, then the part time teams(don't attempt all races and are deep in the OWNERS points) get a shot at the provisionals, lining up by Owners Points. If spots are still available, then the teams without provisionals get placed in the field by fastest qualifying speed until all 43 spots are filled

What happens if qualifying gets rained out?

Provisionals are not used in case of rain. A new rule in 2000: If it is the first 4 races of the season and the past season OWNERS points are used then:
#1) - previous season Owner Points
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Winston Cup Champions not in by 1 and 2
#4) - Current season Owner Points
#5) - Qualifying draw order
No more by the postmark on the emtry blank

If it is past the first four races then:
#1) - First 35 by current Owner Points
#2) - Race winners from the current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Winston Cup Champions not in by 1 and 2
#4) - Qualifying draw order

[marcus]

oh great..less than 30 mins to the race and ya give me all that to read....I think i will print it out and paruse over it during the race..thanks alot Gerard very thorough job and speedy response time as well..my goodness it is a bit more involved than I thought ..but I wasnt to far off the mark.

CHEERS AGAIN