A storm that hit North Wilkesboro Speedway in the afternoon prevented the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying sessions from taking place. As a result, NASCAR determined the starting grid for the circuit, which will host its first points-scoring Cup race in 30 years, using a metric system. Ryan Blaney took pole position in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.
How does the metric system work?
The metric system relies on a weighted average calculation to determine the cars' race ranking. In this calculation, the car owner's championship ranking accounts for 30 percent, while the team's result in the most recent race accounts for 70 percent. NASCAR also plans to hold a practice session later in the event.
Full starting lineup
Alongside Blaney, Ty Gibbs shares the front row in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Christopher Bell will start from 3rd, Carson Hocevar from 4th, and Tyler Reddick from 5th. The rest of the top ten are completed by Erik Jones (6th), Denny Hamlin (7th), Shane van Gisbergen (8th), Chris Buescher (9th), and Chase Elliott (10th).
Notable names in the standings include Brad Keselowski (23rd), Bubba Wallace (26th), Kyle Larson (27th), and Chase Briscoe (30th). The full standings are as follows:
- 1. Ryan Blaney
- 2. Ty Gibbs
- 3. Christopher Bell
- 4. Carson Hocevar
- 5. Tyler Reddick
- 6. Erik Jones
- 7. Denny Hamlin
- 8. Shane van Gisbergen
- 9. Chris Buescher
- 10. Chase Elliott
- 11. Joey Logano
- 12. Austin Dillon
- 13. Ross Chastain
- 14. Austin Cindric
- 15. William Byron
- 16. Michael McDowell
- 17. Daniel Suarez
- 18. Todd Gilliland
- 19. John Hunter Nemechek
- 20. Cole Custer
- 21. Ryan Preece
- 22. Ty Dillon
- 23. Brad Keselowski
- 24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- 25. Alex Bowman
- 26. Bubba Wallace
- 27. Kyle Larson
- 28. Josh Berry
- 29. Zane Smith
- 30. Chase Briscoe
- 31. Noah Graham
- 32. Connor Zilisch
- 33. Austin Hill
- 34. Riley Herbst
- 35. AJ Allmendinger
- 36. Cody Ware
- 37. Chad Finchum