Ronda Greer Photo

REVISED: NASCAR will implement a new procedure for establishing the starting race field in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series beginning with the 2005 season, NASCAR officials announced today.

NASCAR has changed the system by simplifying the procedure with teams no longer accruing provisionals throughout the season to gain entry into the starting fields. While starting positions one through 35 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series still will be determined by qualifying speed, the new system will assure the highest-ranked 30 positions of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner championship points that have entered the event prior to the entry deadline one of those starting positions in the field, providing they have made an attempt to qualify.

The remaining five positions will be assigned to those drivers with the fastest qualifying speeds whose car owners are not among the top 30.

The final starting position – the champion’s provisional – can be utilized by a car owner whose driver is a current or past NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion who participated as a driver during their 2004 season and was entered in the event for that owner in that car prior to the entry deadline. If there is more than one series champion vying for the position, it will be given to the most recent series champion.

If the final provisional starting position – 36th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – is not filled by a current or past series champion, it will be assigned to the next eligible car owner according to qualifying results.

Through the first four races of the season for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the top 30 of the 2004 owner championship points entered in the event prior to the entry deadline will be assured one of the starting positions in the field, provided they have made an attempt to qualify. In addition, the owner’s entry must have made an attempt to qualify in all 25 events in 2004 to be eligible for one of those 30 positions.

From the fifth race on, the highest-ranked 30 positions of the current owner championship points will be assured one of those positions as long as their entry has made an attempt to qualify in the previous 2005 events up to that point.

In the event that conditions prevent qualifying from being run, starting positions will be assigned according to the respective series’ 2005 Rule Book.