Qualifying
For the first time in the Sprint Cup Series, a new qualifying system was to have been introduced for this race and the rest of the 2008 season.
The new qualifying format is being divided into two groups, that has been called by many as "The Boris Said Rule" after what happened prior to the 2007 Pepsi 400, when Said was on the provisional pole when qualifying was canceled, and the field was set by the rulebook. The format debuted in the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series at Daytona.
In the first group, the Top 35 Exempt teams will go onto the track first and set their positions in the time trials. The second group will involve those outside said Top 35, and will fill the remaining eight spots. However, rain canceled the scheduled qualifying session, and the field was set by the NASCAR rulebook. The first time that the new qualifying session format was used was at the UAW-Dodge 400 the following week in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Auto Club 500