NASCAR called off the qualifying session for the 2026 Darlington Southern 500 after a sudden burst of lightning struck the track on an unusually hot day, despite the absence of rain.
Qualifying Canceled
The starting grid will be constructed from a weighted average that gives 30 % weight to owner standings and 70 % to recent race finishes, a formula NASCAR announced to preserve fairness when traditional qualifying cannot be held.
Tyler Reddick, who posted a third‑place finish at Daytona, will start from pole position in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, while Daniel Suarez, the Daytona runner‑up and Chase seed, takes second in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Ryan Preece, the winner of last weekend’s event, lines up third in the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford. Denny Hamlin, a Chase seed, begins fourth, and Michael McDowell, the highest‑starting non‑Chase driver, occupies fifth.
The top ten also includes Chase Briscoe, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman, while the lowest‑ranked title contenders Carson Hocevar and Chris Buescher are slotted 34th and 35th respectively. Michael McDowell also appears in the ‘best of the rest’ category at 17th.
With the grid set by the weighted formula, teams and drivers now turn their attention to race strategy, as the lack of a qualifying session removes the opportunity to fine‑tune positions under live conditions.