“The reward or punishment of performance is your standing in the championship points. A made-up formula should not factor into that or make you have one arm tied behind your back every week.” One of NASCAR’s most unexpectedly intense discussions of the season about how qualifying order should really be determined began on Monday with a post from Kelly Crandall of RACER. What started as a critique of NASCAR’s current performance metric system quickly evolved into a broader conversation about randomness, fairness, and whether the sport has drifted too far from simpler solutions. Amid all the back-and-forth, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks has now weighed in with an unexpectedly traditional proposal.

Justin Marks wants NASCAR to bring back a little luck

“I think maybe going back to the pill draw, I like that from the past, and equalizing the opportunity for everybody. I don’t know how many spots it would cost to do that,” Marks said during his recent Sirius XM appearance, where he floated the idea of bringing back the old qualifying draw system.

He noted that there are practical reasons why elite teams are now rewarded with later qualifying spots, but he also stated that he is probably a little biased and misses the unpredictable nature of the random (or “pill”) draw technique. Before 2020, NASCAR’s qualifying order was decided by chance. To determine when they hit the track, teams would draw numbers. That mattered more than it sounds.

Track conditions vary during the session. Qualifying order can have a significant influence on lap times. Speeds frequently rise when temperatures drop, and more rubber is placed down. While drivers who rolled out early occasionally had no realistic chance at pole, drawing a late number regularly turned advantageous. That changed after the COVID era.

After introducing performance metrics, NASCAR progressively increased its application. Today, a method consisting of 70% previous-race finish and 30% owner point standings determines the qualifying order. The field is divided into two groups when the order is determined. Stronger teams qualify later in Group 2, while lower-ranked cars go out sooner in Group 1. The logic is simple: reward performance and reduce randomness.

This is what some drivers prefer and refuse to agree with Marks’ idea of ‘randomness,’ one of them being NASCAR veteran, Denny Hamlin. He recently pushed back strongly against the idea of random draws on the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast.

“So randomness is not good for sports because I tried to give the example well, what if Brad Keselowski, he’s on the bubble, we’re going to Dover as the regular season finale? You think it’s fair for Brad Keselowski to draw the number 36 pill and he or the number one pill, and he has to go out first? No. It should be he had ample time throughout the season to accumulate points,” he said.

And that’s really the heart of the debate. Should qualifying reward what teams already earned, or should everyone get the same opportunity each weekend? NASCAR hasn’t shown signs of changing the system again (yet). But for the first time in a while, the conversation feels open again.

But for Marks, this debate isn’t just theoretical. Unlike owners who discuss qualifying from atop the pit box, he has experienced it firsthand and is about to do so again. As NASCAR heads to San Diego for its historic street-race weekend, Marks will be strapped into a race truck and experiencing it for himself.

Marks talks about racing in San Diego

NASCAR heads to San Diego this weekend for its first-ever race at Naval Base Coronado, with all three national series set to compete on a new 3.4-mile street course. The event is historic because it will take place on an active military base as part of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary celebrations. For Marks, it presents a unique opportunity.

“It’s a unique opportunity to drive in the inaugural Truck Series race at San Diego Naval Base. I enjoy getting behind the wheel every once in a while, and I’m thankful to do it with Spire’s help and with a longtime partner like Jockey. They are celebrating their 150th anniversary and are very supportive of our military, which makes this endeavor even more special. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming race weekend, and it’s an honor to be part of it,” said Marks.

In the Truck Series race at Naval Base Coronado, the owner of Trackhouse Racing will temporarily trade the pit box and boardroom for the driver’s seat as part of the Justin Marks-Spire Motorsports partnership for San Diego. And despite spending recent years building Trackhouse into a Cup Series powerhouse, Marks isn’t exactly showing up cold.

In addition to his accomplishments as a team owner, which include more than a dozen Cup Series victories and even a MotoGP title in 2025, Marks has built a respectable driving resume of his own. He has nearly 80 career starts across NASCAR’s top three national divisions.

Particularly in the Truck Series, Marks has made 39 starts since 2007, won poles at Texas Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway, and recorded four top-10 finishes, with a pair of eighth-place results standing as his career best. So while he’s arguing that qualifying should be less predictable, Marks will also get a firsthand look at how NASCAR’s current weekend format plays out from inside the cockpit.