There was a bit of a window for the NASCAR Xfinity Series to get its single-vehicle qualifying session in on Friday, but Mother Nature made the executive decision to slam it shut shortly after the session began.
Of the 38 drivers on the entry list for Friday’s Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway, the first 15 were able to post a qualifying time around the 2.5-mile superspeedway. With Sheldon Creed’s No. 00 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Ford Mustang at the top of the speed charts, the lightning struck once again.
That forced the 30-minute lightning clock to be reset, once again, and forced NASCAR to cancel the remainder of the session — as that delay would push up against the beginning of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, scheduled to happen at 5:05 pm ET.
Therefore, the starting lineup for Friday’s Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola will be determined by NASCAR’s Performance Metric, which takes into account previous race finish, points position, and fastest lap rank. This formula also determines the qualifying order each weekend.
STARTING LINEUP: 2025 NXS Wawa 250 at Daytona
Connor Zilisch, the winner of the most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series event (at Watkins Glen, two weeks ago), is scheduled to start from the first spot in Friday’s 100-lap contest.
Zilisch is recovering from a broken collarbone suffered at Watkins Glen. Whether the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet starts from the front row or drops to the rear before the start of the race is unknown. The 19-year-old told The CW on Friday that he plans to exit the car at the first caution, so that relief driver Parker Kligerman can finish the race.
Sam Mayer, one of the three drivers in the battle for the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season championship, will roll from second place on Friday. Sammy Smith will start from third, with nine-time Xfinity Series superspeedway race-winner, Austin Hill, starting fourth. Justin Allgaier will start in fifth.
Carson Kvapil, Brandon Jones, Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes, and Jesse Love, winner at Daytona earlier this season, will complete the top-10 starters.
With only 38 drivers on the entry list for Friday’s Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway, nobody will be forced to make the trip back to North Carolina without taking the green flag. Logan Bearden and Mike Harmon Racing, who were originally entered, withdrew earlier this week.
The Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway will take place on Friday, August 22 at 7:30 pm ET on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
