What is the reason for the arrangement in Surat Qaf, mentioning the people of Noah, then the Companions of Ar-Rass, then Thamud, instead of mentioning, for example, the Companions of Ar-Rass and then the people of Tubba'?

The verses (Qaf: 12-14) show that the disbelievers of Quraish were not the first to deny the messengers; rather, nations before them denied their messengers, such as the people of Noah, 'Ad, Thamud, the People of the Rass, and the people of Lot, thus deserving punishment. These verses do not indicate the chronological order of the nations, because the conjunction "wa" (and) in "The people of Noah, and the People of the Rass, and Thamud denied before them; and 'Ad, and Pharaoh, and the brethren of Lot; and the dwellers of the wood, and the people of Tubba'" only indicates absolute shared participation in denial and punishment, not chronological order. Some nations were mentioned before others even though they came later chronologically. This is unlike "thumma" (then) and "fa" (so), which indicate order, as explained by Ibn Malik.