After seeing just four canceled qualifying sessions across the 2024 and 2025 seasons combined, the NASCAR Cup Series has already seen four canceled through the first seven races of the 10-race Chase postseason.
And that was after a regular season that was also littered with qualifying rainouts, with just over three quarters (17 of 22) of the oval qualifying sessions actually taking place as planned.
One qualifying rainout happened at Talladega Superspeedway, which resulted in Casey Mears and Beard Motorsports failing to qualify on owner points since there were 41 cars on the entry list and thus five drivers going for four spots.
But the weather forecast for this weekend at the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked oval in Lincoln, Alabama could literally not be better, especially given the recent history.
NASCAR weather forecast for Talladega as good as it gets
According to AccuWeather, there is just a 1% chance of precipitation on Saturday, with the weather prediction described simply as "delightful with plenty of sunshine".
Qualifying is scheduled to take place at 1:00 p.m. ET, and because Talladega is a superspeedway, the single-car session is set to consist of two rounds, one featuring all 40 cars on the entry list, and one with the top 10 from round one to battle for pole.
There is no practice session scheduled, and because there are only 40 cars on the entry list, nobody will fail to qualify for the race. The open entries include Beard Motorsports' No. 62 Chevrolet for Mears, as well as NY Racing Team's No. 44 Chevrolet for J.J. Yeley, Garage 66's No. 66 Ford for Gray Gaulding, and Live Fast Motorsports' No. 78 Chevrolet for Daniel Dye.
It is kind of bizarre that, despite nine qualifying rainouts, NASCAR hasn't actually had to postpone a race itself this year, although three races were moved up earlier in the year due to the threat of bad weather later in the day. Who knows? Maybe the vortex theory enthusiasts are onto something.
That should remain the case this weekend, too, with Sunday described as a "great day for the race". AccuWeather calls for just a 5% chance of rain. The race is set to get underway shortly after 2:00 p.m. ET.
Qualifying is set to be shown live on TruTV, although with a trial of FuboTV, you can watch Sunday's race for free on NBC. Begin one now and catch all of the action from the antepenultimate race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series postseason! All three races remaining on the schedule are set to be shown on NBC.
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