NASCAR Auto Club 500 Qualifying

Tomorrow at 3:00 eastern the qualifying runs start for the Nextel Cup Series Auto Club 500. The new rules take full effect for this race. We will be posting a detailed analysis and qualifying forecast a little later tonight, but in the meantime remember that the following:

• Through the first five races, the top 35 drivers in last year's point standings automatically qualify. Positions 1-42 are based on speed while position 43 is a previous champion's provisional slot.
• The cars are impounded immediately after the qualifying is complete. Only minor adjustments are permitted and the cars must start the race with the same tires and amount of fuel with which they completed the qualifying.