NASCAR tweaks qualifying procedures at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Just days after Daytona 500 pole qualifying turned into a debacle, NASCAR has tweaked qualifying procedures for its lower series at Daytona International Speedway.

The Xfinity Series and the Camping World Trucks fields will be divided into four groups instead of two for the first round and will last two-and-a-half minutes instead of five. That should force cars to leave pit road instead of playing cat-and-mouse games with competitors.

NASCAR also will stage cars on pit road in a single file before the clock starts. When the cars pull out of line, they must leave pit road.

On Sunday, the Daytona 500 qualifying session was done in knockout rounds for the first time in 57 years. Drivers jockeyed for position on pit road, leading to a traffic jam.