Three of the first four, including the past two in a row, NASCAR Cup Series qualifying sessions have been canceled due to rain to open up the 10-race 2026 postseason.
The weather forecast is much better for this Saturday's qualifying session ahead of Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but we're not taking any chances.
If qualifying for Sunday's 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas, Nevada oval ends up being canceled, the qualifying metric would once again set to starting lineup.
The metric takes into account each car's position in the owner standings (30%) and each car's result in the most recent race (70%). It's the same metric used to set the qualifying order, although when it comes to the qualifying order, it is reversed.
Additionally, it does not necessarily split up the playoff drivers from the non-playoff drivers, like it does for the qualifying order. In other words, while the 16 playoff drivers are guaranteed to slot into the final 16 spots in the qualifying order, they are not guaranteed to start inside the top 16 if qualifying is canceled.
Here's what the South Point 400 starting lineup would look like if qualifying is canceled on Saturday.
NASCAR lineup at Las Vegas if qualifying is canceled
Order | Driver |
|---|---|
1 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
2 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
3 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford |
4 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford |
5 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
6 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
7 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
8 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota |
9 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
10 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota |
11 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford |
12 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
13 | Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford |
14 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
15 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford |
16 | Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
17 | John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
18 | Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
19 | Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
20 | Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
21 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford |
22 | Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
23 | Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
24 | A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
25 | Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
26 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
27 | Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota |
28 | Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
29 | Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
30 | Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
31 | Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
32 | Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet |
33 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet |
34 | Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
35 | Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
36 | Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet |
The South Point 400 is set to be shown live on USA Network from Las Vegas Motor Speedway starting at 5:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, October 4. Don't miss any of the action from race number five on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase schedule!
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