Gordon calls for qualifying changes

Four-time Nextel Cup champion Gordon, a keen watcher of Formula One, reckons that NASCAR should adopt a system similar to what F1 has used for the past three years.

Currently oval qualifying, such as for this week's Daytona 500, gives drivers two laps to post a time, with the running order decided by a random draw. Gordon reckons that a system like in F1, whereby the quickest cars go last, would make the session more interesting.

Gordon told autosport.com: "It is something we need to do, because our qualifying, as far as I am concerned, is the most boring television. If I wasn't a competitor I would never watch it.

"Changing the order we do it is the one thing we could do to make qualifying more exciting. Everyone wants to go last.

"If you base it off of practice speeds, where the fastest guy in practice goes last, then in theory you should keep creeping up and get fastest and faster drivers and that is something that can make our qualifying interesting for the viewers.

"Maybe someone would jump in there and surprise you and all of a sudden you have a surprise and then everyone will feel like they should be beating this guy, but will they? It is kind of a concept F1 has been doing and I like that.

"You could base that running order on points, but I think it is more fair for the guys that are lower in points if you base it on practice speeds. You take your final practice and you take the speeds from that and you reverse the order and that should be qualifying order. That is what I would do."