Head2Head: Daytona qualifying too complicated?

I get the same question about this time every year from friends and acquaintances looking forward to the upcoming season:

How does Daytona 500 qualifying work again?

And after taking a nice, deep breath, I unload the following answer:

Well, you see, the first row is set by a round of regular qualifying, it takes about 19 hours. The rest of the field is set in the Duels, they used to be 100 miles, then like 40 years ago they went up to 125 and a few years back they went to 150. The top two guys from the Duels that are not in the top 35 in owner points from the previous season are in, and the rest of the lineup is set by the Duels, with guaranteed spots to those in the top 35. The last four spots go to the guys with the fastest times from the qualifying that happened five days before who didn't already make the field from the Duels. Oh, by the way, if there is a past champion without a spot, he gets one of those four spots.

That's usually followed by a thud, and me having to pick someone up off the floor after they pass out.

I get NASCAR wanting to make qualifying for the biggest race of the year more exciting, but why not just set the entire field from the qualifying races and be done with it? Big-time sports are all about TV ratings. Who wouldn't watch that?

Fans of the sport are not ignorant, and this "complicated" system takes a bunch of unwarranted heat.

Look, the top 35 from last year are in -- nothing new there. The three fastest go-or-go-homers from qualifying are in -- again not rocket science. Then the top two go-or-go-homers that are left from each Duel race are in the show.

Where is the mass confusion?

This is the Daytona 500, the biggest race of the season. I love that four drivers have to race their way into the field. Race your way in -- a fantastic idea that I wish would be implemented more throughout the season.

Let's face it -- qualifying is boring. That's what makes Speedweeks so great. Who wants to watch one car at time for four hours as they set the field? Wake me when it's over. But not Daytona, baby. Two 150-mile races decide who's in, who's out and where they will lineup on Sunday. The two races take just as long as quals, yet the viewing experience is 100 times better.

We get TWO bonus races! How can that possibly be a bad thing? The system isn't that difficult but if you do have trouble following, let the ones who get paid to figure it out -- the media -- explain it. Just sit back and enjoy the racing!