NASCAR qualifying start time: What time is qualifying for the 2022 All-Star Race

NASCAR heads to Fort Worth, Texas this weekend for the All-Star Open and Race on Sunday, May 22nd. The Texas Motor Speedway will host the event, resulting in one of the drivers coming away with a cool $1 million grand prize. There are three ways to earn a spot in the All-Star Race. Race winners from last year and this year that are still competing full time, a fan vote can choose you, or you can win one of the three stages in the All-Star Open. The latter is available to all drivers who aren’t yet eligible for the All-Star race.

For the drivers already eligible for the All-Star Race, there will be a qualifying event to determine the initial race grid. The three drivers that win one of the three stages in the All-Star Open will also be added to the race field. Qualifying for the All-Star race will take place on Saturday, May 21st at 7:55 p.m. ET.

The All-Star Race will utilize a unique two-stage qualifier. In the first round, each car will run a single-car, one-lap qualifier in the reverse order of owner points. The top-eight drivers will then head to an elimination-style bracket to determine the pole position. In the elimination bracket, there will be two cars that are staged side-by-side near the end of pit road.

Pit crews get a chance to shine and they will perform a four-tire stop and drivers will then exit pit road and head onto the track with no speed limit. The car that crosses the finish line first will move on. This will repeat until the final head-to-head battle is complete and the pole position is awarded to the winner.