Due to inclement weather in the area, Saturday’s (May 23) NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been canceled.
NASCAR will attempt to hold a combined Cup Series practice if or when the track is ready for racing.
The announcement comes after the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, originally slated for Friday night, was postponed to 8 a.m. today, then again to 9 p.m. E.T.
Mother Nature has not been kind to NASCAR in Charlotte. No on-track activities have occurred as NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series practice and qualifying were also canceled on Saturday.
As such, Tyler Reddick will lead the field to green for Sunday’s race. Reddick leads the point standings thanks to his series-high five victories.
Ty Gibbs will start alongside Reddick on the front row, with Shane van Gisbergen and Michael McDowell on row two in third and fourth.
Chase Briscoe will start fifth followed by Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon and AJ Allmendinger in sixth through 10th, respectively.
Of note, Austin Hill will start 13th in the newly-renumbered No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Hill is competing in the race in the vacated ride due to the unfortunate death of two-time champion Kyle Busch. Hill will be making his first Cup start at Charlotte.
With 39 entrants, all will make the historic Memorial Day weekend race. Open drivers Timmy Hill, Katherine Legge and Corey Heim will start 36th, 37th, and 39th, respectively. Legge is attempting The Double as she is also racing in the Indianapolis 500.
Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 Starting Lineup
The Coke 600 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, the 24th, at 6 p.m. ET with TV coverage provided by Amazon Prime Video.
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for multiple automotive news outlets, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host, and a PhD. student at a premier college of media and mass communication. Tanner began working with Frontstretch in 2022, covering the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.