ROSSBURG, Ohio – World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Eldora Speedway officials revealed the format for the $175,000-to-win Kings Royal feature on Friday afternoon.
All time trial procedures will follow those set forth in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink (WoO) Sprint Car Series Rulebook, with the exception that the qualifying order will not be split into “A” and “B” flights.
Cars will time trial in order of the random pill draw conducted prior to the driver meeting. The fastest lap will determine heat group position.
The two fastest qualifiers who do not advance to first, second or third place in their heat race will start 19th and 20th in the 36th Kings Royal.
Meanwhile, the winners of “Jokers Wild” and “The Knight Before” each earn the right to make their qualifying attempt at any point during Time Trials for the Kings Royal regardless of their established pill draw. The drivers are still required to participate in the pill draw and must present their cars ready to qualify in front of the Media Center to be eligible.
If the same driver wins both Thursday and Friday’s feature races, only that driver has the privilege – there is no transfer of the privilege.
Using the traditional Kings Royal format, the results of qualifying will be staggered by time into six Heat Groups using an invert of six.
The heat group pole cars will be: A) 31st fastest; B) 32nd fastest; C) 33rd fastest; D) 34th fastest; E) 35th fastest; and F) the 36th fastest qualifier.
Saturday’s fastest qualifier will start sixth in heat group A; and the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth fastest qualifiers will start sixth in Groups B through F, accordingly.
The order of the Heat Races will be determined by “The Joust,” a race eight-laps in distance among the fastest six qualifiers. It will be held after qualifying and prior to the heat races.
The starting lineup will be determined by a “Revenge Draw.”
The results will give those six drivers, by order of finish, the opportunity to move their entire heat race in the order of events – and steal away the according advancement.
For example, the third fastest qualifier is traditionally seeded into the third heat race, and the top-three finishers in the third heat race start fourth, ninth and 15th in the Kings Royal.
In 2019, the third fastest qualifier has been seeded into heat group C. If the third fastest qualifier wins The Joust, the driver has the first choice to move Heat Group C up or down in the order of events.
If they move their heat group to be the first heat race, they will be racing to start 6th, 7th and 13th. If they see a top competitor is up front in group F and could possibly start pole, they may choose to move their entire heat group to be the sixth heat race in the order putting themselves – and the rest of their heat race – in position to race for the pole, 12th or 18th in the Kings Royal.
Notably, a new right-rear tire is permitted for The Joust. If an incident during The Joust necessitates the need for a backup car in the heat race, the driver would retain their original start position without penalty.
If a driver or car is not able to continue further in the program following the conclusion of The Joust, they will be awarded last place monies ($3,000) from the Kings Royal.
There are six heat races of 10 laps in distance. The top-three finishers advance to the 36th Kings Royal.
First Heat Race: the winner starts sixth; second starts seventh and third starts 13th.
Second Heat Race: the winner starts fifth; second starts eighth and third starts 14th.
Third Heat Race: the winner starts fourth; second starts ninth and third starts 15th.
Fourth Heat Race: the winner starts third; second starts 10th and third starts 16th.
Fifth Heat Race: the winner starts second; second starts 11th and third starts 17th.
Sixth Heat Race: the winner starts on the pole; second starts 12th and third starts 18th.
Cars finishing fourth, fifth and sixth – that are not the two fastest qualifiers who do not finish in the top-three in their heat race – advance to the Last Chance Showdown.
Cars finishing seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th advance to the C-Feature.
The two fastest qualifiers not advancing from the heat races will start 19th and 20th in the Kings Royal.
There is one C-Feature. Cars finishing first through sixth advance to the Last Chance Showdown.
There is one Last Chance Showdown. Cars finishing first through fourth advance to the Kings Royal.
The top-three finishers from the six heat races will makeup the first 18 starters in the Kings Royal as explained above.
The #JokersWild on Thursday and #TheKnightBefore on Friday will follow the procedures of, and be pointed per, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
The 36th Kings Royal on Saturday night is a WoO show-up points event.
An additional $5,000 in cash awards has been posted for drivers who have never qualified for the A-Feature at the Kings Royal.
One-thousand dollars each is up for the highest-finishing driver making their first Kings Royal A-Feature; the fastest qualifier who has never made a Kings Royal A-Feature; the top-finishing non-qualifier who has never made the Kings Royal; the top-finishing driver in the Jokers Wild who has never made the Kings Royal and the top-finishing driver in The Knight Before who has never made the Kings Royal.