One of the most debated topics in the NASCAR world has been the qualifying method. After Denny Hamlin gave his take on it earlier this week, Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks has also shared his opinion on the topic.

The whole debate started earlier this week when RACER's Kelly Crandall shared an X post about the new qualifying method, where top-performing teams are allowed to go on track later, no longer serving the purpose and becoming outdated. However, Hamlin disagreed with the take.

He argued that the randomness of the previous 'pill draw' negatively affected those consistently performing well and emphasized, "Randomness is not sports."

However, former NASCAR driver and team owner, Justin Marks, seems to agree with Crandall about bringing back the random draw for qualifying, as he said on SiriusXM Radio (as quoted by the Daily Downforce):

"I think maybe going back to the pill draw, I like that from the past, and equalizing the opportunity for everybody. I don’t know how many spots it would cost to do that.”

Marks further added that he misses the random draw or the 'pill' and also understands why the top teams get to go last.

"I miss the pill draw, that’s all. I  just think it’d be kind of cool going back to a pill draw. But I know that we’re trying to create drama on Sundays or on Saturdays. I know we want to build to the pole, we want the broadcast to gain momentum and have drama right at the end," Marks added.

Before using the current two-variable metric, NASCAR used the random draw method to determine who would go first. This can make a huge difference in qualifying as the track conditions change between sessions, and going out late almost always helps in being in contention for pole position.

Denny Hamlin uses Brad Keselowski's example to justify qualifying take

After debating whether the sport should go back to the random draw with NASCAR reporters on X, Denny Hamlin took to his podcast "Actions Detrimental" to talk about the same.

During the segment, he explained his stance on why he is against the random draw method and explained the unfair nature. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver said:

"So randomness is not good for sports because I tried to give the example, well, what if Brad Keselowski, he’s on the bubble, we’re going to Dover as the regular season finale. You think it’s fair for Brad Keselowski to draw the number one pill, and he has to go out first?"

Hamlin further argued that the random draw could potentially hurt the race of a driver on the cusp of the playoff bubble if he goes out first. Track conditions usually improve after each run, and with more grip, drivers who go out later can be quicker.

As of now, NASCAR has shown no intention to change the qualifying method.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak