Rain Atlanta Motor Speedway

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series Qualifying Canceled in Atlanta

With rain coming in and putting a damper on things, NASCAR has canceled qualifying sessions for the Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series. Efforts to dry the track were impeded by rain falling off and on. Eventually, it was too much. The lineup will be set by the metric.

With the rain cancelation, Zane Smith is set to lead off tomorrow afternoon’s Truck Series race. Smith is setting out to defend his championship and he’s off to a great start. He’s also getting time in the Cup Series this season.

The Front Row Motorsports driver will be on the front row.

Smith has a win and two top-five finishes this season. He leads the points standings with 85 after a couple of races. I’m sure he doesn’t mind starting in the front of the field for tomorrow’s race.

However, John Hunter Nemechek might have something to say about that as he comes down from the Xfinity Series. It’s always a challenge in these lower series. Drivers from other series, open-wheel guys, Cup guys, and more come in and try to mix things up.

The rain also put a stop to Xfinity Series qualifying as NASCAR tried to dry the track. With the rain coming in steadily, it was too much to get cars out on the track.

Sammy Smith to Lead Xfinity Series Race After NASCAR Cancels Qualifying

While Zane Smith is having a good season in the Truck Series, Austin Hill is having a great season in the Xfinity Series. The RCR driver has two wins and is leading the points standings after four races. He leads Nemechek 195 to 165 points.

However, with NASCAR canceling the Xfinity Series qualifying session, it will be Sammy Smith of RCR that leads things off. This season has more or less been dominated by a handful of drivers. There is always a chance for someone to find a groove and take a checkered flag from the favorites. After all, Atlanta is a superspeedway now.

Sammy Smith won the last race out and is hoping that he can drive the No. 18 JGR Toyota Supra to another checkered flag this weekend. He’ll have to do it without qualifying, though.

When the field lines up on Saturday night, the rain won’t be an issue. It will be dry and mild, arguably chilly, as the Xfinity Series gets going. Rain might have ended qualifying, but it won’t have any effect on the rest of the weekend.

While the wet weather has taken over Friday night’s festivities, we have a lot of fun racing to watch this weekend. Atlanta was electric last season. So, buckle up, it should be another fun ride.