“Rain and Hail”: Darlington’s Xfinity Outing Ruined as Mother Nature Shows Her Wrath

The Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 Xfinity Series race qualifying and practice session at Darlington Raceway got washed out by nasty weather. It was supposed to kick off at 5:05 p.m. ET, but the officials had to hit pause. First, there was a lengthy delay because of lightning, and just as they were about to let drivers back onto pit road, the skies opened up big time. By 6:00 p.m. ET, an hour after it was supposed to start, NASCAR had to call it quits.

Despite the weather hiccup, the starting lineup’s already been set according to the NASCAR rule book. So, for Saturday’s race at Darlington Raceway, the NASCAR Xfinity Series champion of the Stewart-Haas Racing team. Meanwhile, the fans can watch another race.

The racing community can tune in to catch another action: the 100-lap Open Modified event

While the Xfinity practice and qualifying got rained out, fans still managed to get some action with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series hitting the track for their practice and qualifying rounds. It’s still up in the air whether the ninth event of the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series at the “Too Tough to Tame” track will push through, but Nick Sanchez and Corey Heim are all set to lead the pack if it does.

And there’s a silver lining, thanks to some quick thinking from Bubba Wallace‘s spotter, Freddie Kraft. He tweeted, “Rain and hail in Darlington means one thing. Turn on the #SpringSizzler from @StaffordSpeedwy on @FloRacing.” So, if you’re itching for some racing, flip over to FloRacing and catch the 100-lap Open Modified event, the Spring Sizzler. It’s the big kickoff at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway, featuring not just the headline 100-lap Modified race but also a full lineup including SK Modifieds, SK Light Modifieds, Late Models, Limited Late Models, and Street Stocks. It’s a gearhead’s dream weekend!

For the Xfinity race, Cole Custer from Stewart-Haas Racing is set to take the lead, with Chandler Smith from Joe Gibbs Racing hot on his heels. Sheldon Creed isn’t far behind, snagging P3 place at the start, while AJ Allmendinger and Austin Hill round out the top five on the grid for the 200-mile showdown. Over at JR Motorsports, teammates Sam Mayer and Justin Allgaier will kick things off from P6 and P7 places, followed by Anthony Alfredo, Riley Herbst, and Parker Retzlaff to complete the top 10.

Aric Almirola, who snagged a win last time he raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, is a bit back in the pack, starting P18 in his # 20. He’s in good company though, with other notable drivers like Brandon Jones starting P14, Sammy Smith in P23, Taylor Gray in P24, John Hunter Nemechek way back in P34, and William Byron even further behind in P38.

A few racers, including Jesse Love, Carson Kvapil, Shane Van Gisbergen, Leland Honeyman, and Taylor Gray, are heading into the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 Xfinity race without any prior laps at Darlington in an Xfinity Series car due to the lack of on-track activity before the race.

But how exactly did NASCAR set up the starting grid without any qualifying or practice laps due to the rainout?

NASCAR rulebook to determine the lineup in case qualifying is rained out

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First off, they line up the top 30 cars based on the NASCAR Xfinity Series Team Owner Points standings. For the first three races of the season, they use last year’s standings. After the third race, they switch to the current year’s points to decide the order.

Next up, any team owners who’ve clinched at least one championship race in the Xfinity Series get their slots, as long as they haven’t been placed yet. When it comes to sorting out who stands where among last year’s race winners, it goes by the previous year’s owner points for the first race. From the second race onward, any owner who snagged a win either last year or during the current season gets considered.

For drivers, if there are spots left, they go to those who’ve won a championship race in the Xfinity Series and are registered for that event by the deadline. The order is determined by the previous year’s owner points for the first race, and like the owners, for the next two races, winners from either the last or the current year are considered. After the third race, it’s all about this year’s points.

If there are still spots to be filled, they go to team owners whose drivers are not only listed on the Official Entry Blank/List but are also past Xfinity Series champs within the last ten years, are eligible for points this season, and raced in the series last year. If there’s a tie, the most recent champ gets the nod.

Sure, it sounds like a mouthful, but that’s how NASCAR rolls when the weather throws a wrench into their plans.