By RaceScene Publisher on Friday, 18 March 2022
Category: The Checkered Flag

NASCAR’s Atlanta Friday practices, qualifying rained out

Mother Nature is back to spoil everyone’s fun. On the same day the FIA World Endurance Championship‘s 1000 Miles of Sebring in the neighbouring state of Florida was shortened for weather, NASCAR‘s Friday on-track activities at Atlanta Motor Speedway were cancelled due to rain. All three national series—Cup, Xfinity, Camping World Truck Series—consequently lost practice and qualifying sessions for the day, meaning the starting lineups were instead set using the qualifying formula devised for non-qualifying races during the COVID-19 pandemic seasons in 2020 and 2021.

Pending weather, all three series still intend to practice on Saturday. Such sessions will be important as NASCAR’s first excursions on a reconfigured Atlanta.

With no qualifying, Chase Briscoe will start Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on the pole ahead of Team Penske‘s Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano for a Ford sweep of the top three positions. Briscoe is coming off his first career Cup victory at Phoenix.

“Car drove absolutely PERFECT in qualifying, proud of my guys,” joked Briscoe.

With only thirty-seven cars entered, everyone makes the race. Including the chartered cars, Greg Biffle and NY Racing Team will make their third start of 2022 after skipping Phoenix. Driver changes from Phoenix come in Spire Motorsports‘ #77 and Rick Ware Racing‘s multi-man #15, which respectively go from the hands of Landon Cassill to Josh Bilicki and Garrett Smithley to Georgia native David Ragan.

The Xfinity and Truck Series will race on Saturday with the Nalley Cars 250 and Fr8 208, respectively. Noah Gragson, also a winner at Phoenix, starts on the pole for the Xfinity event alongside JR Motorsports team-mate Josh Berry. Smith also won his series’ most recent event at Las Vegas two weeks ago.

Although races without qualifying have expanded grids to thirty-eight from the usual thirty-six, there are no DNQs in the Trucks as thirty-six drivers are entered. Starting last will be Cup driver Ross Chastain in a fifth entry for Niece Motorsports.

Conversely, five entries will not run the Xfinity race: David Starr, Brennan Poole, Chad Finchum, Dillon Bassett, and Harrison Rhodes. Bassett and his family-owned Bassett Racing have been snakebit since launching its Xfinity programme in 2021, with all but one race entered having ended with a DNQ due to rain-outs and non-qualifying events.

Cup starting lineup

StartNumberDriverTeamManufacturer
114Chase BriscoeStewart-Haas RacingFord
212Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord
322Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
418Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
58Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
69Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
71Ross ChastainTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet
84Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord
945Kurt Busch23XI RacingToyota
1010Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord
1148Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
1224William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
1399Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet
1417Chris BuescherRFK RacingFord
1511Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
162Austin CindricTeam PenskeFord
173Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
1842Ty DillonPetty GMS MotorsportsChevrolet
1923Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota
2041Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord
215Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
2231Justin HaleyKaulig RacingChevrolet
2343Erik JonesPetty GMS MotorsportsChevrolet
246Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingFord
2538Todd GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord
2619Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
2720Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
2847Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
2934Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord
3016Noah Gragson*Kaulig RacingChevrolet
3121Harrison BurtonWood Brothers RacingFord
3251Cody WareRick Ware RacingFord
337Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet
3478B.J. McLeodLive Fast MotorsportsFord
3515David RaganRick Ware RacingFord
3677Josh Bilicki*Spire MotorsportsChevrolet
3744Greg BiffleNY Racing TeamChevrolet
Italics – Competing for Rookie of the Year
* – Ineligible for series points

Xfinity starting lineup

StartNumberDriverTeamManufacturer
19Noah GragsonJR MotorsportsChevrolet
28Josh BerryJR MotorsportsChevrolet
319Brandon JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
454Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
518Trevor BayneJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
67Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet
716A.J. AllmendingerKaulig RacingChevrolet
811Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet
939Ryan SiegRSS RacingFord
1010Landon CassillKaulig RacingChevrolet
1168Brandon BrownBrandonbilt MotorsportsChevrolet
1227Jeb BurtonOur MotorsportsChevrolet
132Sheldon CreedRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
1421Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
151Sam MayerJR MotorsportsChevrolet
1602Brett MoffittOur MotorsportsChevrolet
1736Alex LabbéDGM RacingChevrolet
1851Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements RacingChevrolet
1926Jeffrey EarnhardtSam Hunt RacingToyota
204Bayley CurreyJD MotorsportsChevrolet
2166J.J. YeleyMBM MotorsportsFord
2231Myatt SniderJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet
2307Joe Graf Jr.SS-Green Light RacingFord
2498Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord
2599Stefan ParsonsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet
2691Mason MasseyDGM RacingChevrolet
2723Anthony AlfredoOur MotorsportsChevrolet
2892Kyle WeathermanDGM RacingChevrolet
2944Sage KaramAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet
3048Jade BufordBig Machine Racing TeamChevrolet
3128Kyle SiegRSS RacingFord
326Ryan VargasJD MotorsportsChevrolet
335Matt MillsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsFord
3438Loris Hezemans*RSS RacingToyota
3535Shane LeeEmerling-Gase MotorsportsChevrolet
3678Josh WilliamsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet
3745Tommy Joe MartinsAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet
3834Jesse IwujiJesse Iwuji MotorsportsChevrolet
DNQ08David StarrSS-Green Light RacingFord
DNQ47Brennan PooleMike Harmon RacingChevrolet
DNQ13Chad FinchumMBM MotorsportsToyota
DNQ77Dillon BassettBassett RacingChevrolet
DNQ52Harrison RhodesJimmy Means RacingChevrolet

Truck starting lineup

StartNumberDriverTeamManufacturer
118Chandler SmithKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota
252Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota
388Matt CraftonThorSport RacingToyota
466Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingToyota
542Carson HocevarNiece MotorsportsChevrolet
625Matt DiBenedettoRackley WARChevrolet
722Austin Wayne SelfAM RacingChevrolet
823Grant EnfingerGMS RacingChevrolet
915Tanner GrayDavid Gilliland RacingFord
1016Tyler AnkrumHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota
1117Ryan PreeceDavid Gilliland RacingFord
124John Hunter NemechekKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota
1340Dean ThompsonNiece MotorsportsChevrolet
1420Matt Mills*Young’s MotorsportsChevrolet
1599Ben RhodesThorSport RacingToyota
1698Christian EckesThorSport RacingToyota
1730Tate FoglemanOn Point MotorsportsToyota
1819Derek KrausMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet
1951Corey HeimKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota
2061Chase PurdyHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota
2144Kris WrightNiece MotorsportsChevrolet
2224Jack WoodGMS RacingChevrolet
2356Timmy HillHill MotorsportsToyota
2445Lawless AlanNiece MotorsportsChevrolet
2538Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsFord
2691Colby HowardMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet
271Hailie DeeganDavid Gilliland RacingFord
2843Thad MoffittGMS Racing with Reaume Brothers RacingChevrolet
2933Chris HackerReaume Brothers RacingToyota
3012Spencer BoydYoung’s MotorsportsChevrolet
3146Matt JaskolG2G RacingToyota
329Blaine PerkinsCR7 MotorsportsChevrolet
333Jordan AndersonJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet
3402Jesse LittleYoung’s MotorsportsChevrolet
3547Brennan Poole*G2G RacingToyota
3641Ross Chastain*Niece MotorsportsChevrolet
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