With inclement weather plaguing the Charlotte, North Carolina area throughout the entire afternoon, NASCAR has made the decision to cancel the remainder of on-track activity at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Saturday, May 27.
In addition to the NASCAR Xfinity Series event scheduled for Noon ET, the cancellation includes practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series, ahead of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, which was scheduled to take place at 7:00 pm ET.
As a result, the field for Sunday’s 600-mile contest will be set by the NASCAR Rule Book, which dictates the usage of a performance-based metric to set the starting lineup for the event.
The metric – utilizing fastest lap, owner point, and race finish data from the last points-paying event at Darlington – has placed William Byron on pole for the Coca-Cola 600, driving the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports.
Making his final start in the Coca-Cola 600, Kevin Harvick will start from the outside of the front row for Stewart-Haas Racing. Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch will complete the race’s top-five starters.
Chase Elliott will start from sixth, with Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. rounding out the top-10 in what is scheduled to be the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest event of the season.
Other notables outside the top-10, include Kyle Larson (P12), Ross Chastain (P14), Tyler Reddick (P15), Joey Logano (P17), Martin Truex, Jr. (P18), Chase Briscoe (P20), Daniel Suarez (P25), Austin Dillon (P33), and Jimmie Johnson (P37).
Alex Bowman, returning to the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time since suffering a compression fracture to his T3 vertebra in a sprint car racing accident in April, will start in the 31st position.
Jimmie Johnson, making his third NASCAR Cup Series start of the season in a third entry for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, will start shotgun on the field, having not competed since Circuit of The Americas.
Starting Lineup: 2023 Coca-Cola 600
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Qualifying Results
