ARCA group qualifying coming to Daytona for opener

TOLEDO, Ohio - ARCA's group qualifying procedure, which is already in play at Talladega Superspeedway and the New Jersey Motorsports Park road course, is coming to Daytona International Speedway for the Lucas Oil 200.<br /> <br /> Instead of one car going against the clock, cars will be placed into groups based on official speeds from practice on pole day, Feb. 13. Each group qualifying session will be eight minutes in length. The fastest laps during group qualifying, which showcases drafting, will determine starting positions in the race.<br /> <br /> "Group qualifying at Daytona combines the benefits of added interest and excitement and reduction of the amount of time it takes to complete the qualifying process," said ARCA President Ron Drager. "From a cost containment perspective, teams no longer need to invest extra time and materials into single car runs at Daytona and Talladega. We were pleased with the group qualifying procedure at Talladega last May and expect it will be even better at Daytona Feb. 13."<br /> <br /> The first 30 positions in the starting grid for the Lucas Oil 200 will be set by group qualifying times. Positions 31 through 34 will be reserved for car owners based on 2014 final point standings, with positions 35 through 39 set for Golden A eligible teams that competed in 100% of the races in 2014. The final position is reserved for a past champion and if no past champion provisional is issued, another car owner provisional will complete the 40-car starting field.<br /> <br /> The Lucas Oil 200, which serves as the preamble for NASCAR's Sprint Unlimited, is set to get the green flag at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 14.