NASCAR has announced new changes to Cup qualifying that will be implemented starting this weekend. Under the new rules, the fastest car in the final round of qualifying will win the pole position. However, the car starting alongside the pole sitter in the first row may not be the second fastest car in the final round.
In the final round of qualifying, Group A and Group B cars will compete for the top two starting positions on the front row. This means that if there are faster cars from Group A in the final round, they may not necessarily start second alongside their fastest car on the front row. Five cars from both groups will advance to the final round as before.
Kyle Busch enters this weekend at New Hampshire 31 points below the playoff cutline. After his fastest car is placed on the front row alongside its competitors, any remaining cars from Group A in