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Jim Utter

Rain cancels Coke 600 qualifying; William Byron on pole

NASCAR officials were still trying to get Saturday’s Xfinity Series race started when it pulled the plug on all track activity around 3:45 p.m. ET.

With no qualifying, the lineup for Sunday night’s 600 was set based on NASCAR’s performance metric.

William Byron, who won the series’ most recent points-paying race two weeks ago at Darlington, S.C., had the lowest metric score and will start Sunday’s race on the pole.

In six career starts on Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval track, Byron’s best finish is fourth in 2021. He wrecked out of last year’s race after 191 of 413 laps.

“This is one of my favorite races of the season. Not only are we racing at home, but it’s my home track,” said Byron, a Charlotte native. “I usually have family here and the race just has so much history behind it.

“I remember going to Charlotte as a kid to watch races and how memorable the weekend was. Not only that, but it’s literally right by the (Hendrick Motorsports) shop, so I know winning at Charlotte is a big deal to (owner Rick) Hendrick and all of Hendrick Motorsports.

“Hopefully, we keep up the good runs we’ve been having this year and can add another one on Sunday.”

Byron is off to a remarkable start this season.

In 13 races, he has three wins, two poles six top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He leads the series in wins laps led (596) and stage wins (six).

Joining Byron on the front row Sunday night will be Kevin Harvick with Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch filling out the top five.

Completing the top-10 starters are Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Kyle Larson, who won last weekend’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, will line up 12th.

The weather forecast for Sunday also remains in doubt. Right now, there is an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening.

Pos. Car No. Driver Team Manufacturer  
1 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
3 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford
4 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
6 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
8 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
9 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
10 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
11 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford
12 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
13 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford
14 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
15 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota
16 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
18 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
21 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford
22 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
23 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
24 99 Daniel Suarez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
25 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
26 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
27 16 A.J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
28 42 Noah Gragson Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
29 38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford
30 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
31 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
32 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
33 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
34 78 B.J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
35 51 Todd Gilliland Rick Ware Racing Ford
36 15 J.J. Yeley Rick Ware Racing Ford
37 84 Jimmie Johnson Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet

 

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