No one gets eliminated, however Larry Dixon agrees the new qualifying points have morphed qualifying into another form of racing.

“No question about it,” said Dixon. “If your competitors take those 12 points from you – that's a half a round of racing. You have to be conscious of it and you need to know what's going on and grab some if you can.”

Dixon dominated both rounds of qualifying with runs of 3.942 and then stunning 3.833 which knocked Morgan Lucas from the top spot. Cory McClenathan posted the top speed at 315.86. Dixon believes with the right conditions on Saturday, the track might give up some additional speed and time.

“It will be warm tomorrow which will allow you to press a little harder to see what you can get away with on Sunday. I know we can run a 3.94. If you can run a 3.90 flat or an 88, obviously that kind of information will help you on Sunday.”

An apparent byproduct of the qualifying procedures has been a noticeable absence of lengthy delays typically caused by oil downs. Dixon says his routine isn't bothered by delays but he knows they are  not good for the sport.

“Where I'm at, is I feel bad for the fans,” said Dixon. “They don't pay to see oil downs. We need every fan we can get and we need to put on a good show for them. When I oil down, I apologize to the teams and the fans, because they have to deal with it. I feel bad for them.”

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