Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar Correspondent
Skies above Charlotte Motor Speedway forced NASCAR's hand, and when the sun refused to cooperate, the rulebook determined the starting grid instead of the stopwatch.
Persistent rain from the remnants of Hurricane Isaias forced NASCAR to cancel both practice and qualifying for the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. The starting lineup for the sixth Chase race of the season, set to run Sunday on the 1.5-mile oval, will instead be determined by NASCAR's standard formula, which combines the previous race's result with the owner standings. The beneficiary, as NASCAR confirmed, is championship points leader Kyle Larson, who takes the pole position without turning a single lap.
Rain Takes the Schedule Off the Table
Charlotte's weekend was supposed to follow the usual script, but rain left NASCAR with no choice but to scratch both practice and qualifying. For drivers, that means no chance to dial in their setups on the freshly restored 1.5-mile oval configuration before Sunday's points battle. Charlotte is running its fall race on the traditional oval layout for the first time since 2017, ditching the ROVAL road course, and that return makes the lost session particularly frustrating for some competitors.
The starting lineup instead takes shape using NASCAR's established formula, which weights the previous race's result at 70 percent and the owner standings at 30 percent. For drivers who ran strong in Las Vegas, that's a windfall they didn't have to earn on track. For everyone else, the real work begins Sunday when the green flag drops.
Larson and Briscoe Up Front
Kyle Larson takes the pole as championship points leader without needing a qualifying run. Beside him in row one sits Chase Briscoe, who secured his spot courtesy of his Chase win at Las Vegas. For Briscoe, that's a comfortable platform, as a second-place start on an intermediate oval like Charlotte leaves him options for the opening lap while competitors behind sort themselves out in the pack.
Rounding out the top five are Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Cindric, followed by William Byron, Joey Logano, and Bubba Wallace. Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske land multiple cars up front, giving them solid restart opportunities from the jump, though true pace will only reveal itself as the race unfolds.
Larson and Reddick Back to Business After Las Vegas
Larson and Reddick line up just behind each other at Charlotte, a week after their shared scare in Las Vegas. In the closing lap there, Larson lost control exiting turn four, hit the wall, and collected Reddick in the process. Larson limped home second, Reddick third. Now the outlook is solid for both: Larson carries a 40-point cushion over Denny Hamlin into Charlotte, while Reddick starts from the second row.
Adding to the week's storylines, NASCAR has suspended a crew member from Cole Custer's number 41 (Haas Factory Team) for the weekend after the car failed post-race inspection twice. It changes little for frontrunners plotting their strategy, but it underscores that Chase racing never pauses, even away from the track. The green flag flies Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. With 267 laps on the 1.5-mile surface and a field rolling in without their own qualifying times, the Bank of America 400 has plenty of plot twists still waiting to be written.
