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All-Star qualifying rained out

Qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star race has been cancelled due to rain at Charlotte Motor Speedway, handing pole position to Kurt Busch

Rain hit the track while qualifying for the Sprint Showdown was underway on Friday and due to the Camping World Truck Series race being scheduled for later that night, officials decided to call off qualifying for the race.

Unlike points-scoring events, the rules for this weekend's races state that if qualifying is cancelled, the starting grid is set based on the draw that determined the running order for the session.

Penske's Busch, who drew the first qualifying spot, will be joined on the front row by Joe Gibbs Racing's Joey Logano, while reigning champion Jimmie Johnson, a two-time winner of the event, will start from seventh, having been fastest in the only practice session of the day.

"Just to have track position early on in the race and to get a good feel for how the car will handle out front, I'm excited about it," said Busch, a former champion looking for his first All-Star win. "Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good. My boat put the best lap down today."

There were only four cars left in line to qualify for the Showdown and Juan Pablo Montoya, who had been fastest in practice, was on provisional pole. However, the event's qualifying was also cancelled and the Earnhardt Ganassi driver will instead have to start from 14th on the grid. Roush Fenway's David Ragan will start from pole beside Germain Racing's Max Papis.

The top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, which consists of two 20-lap segments, will earn their entry into the All-Star race, which gives a million-dollar prize for the winner.

Tonight's All-Star race will consist of four segments. The first will run for 50 laps, including a mandatory green-flag pitstop, followed by two 20-lap segments. The final sprint will be of 10 laps, with only those run under green-flag conditions counting.

18 drivers are already in the field, which will grow to 21 cars with the top two finishers of the Showdown plus the driver who wins the Fan Vote.

All-Star starting line-up:

Pos  Driver             Car
 1.  Kurt Busch         Dodge
 2.  Joey Logano        Toyota
 3.  Brad Keselowski    Dodge
 4.  Jamie McMurray     Chevrolet
 5.  Kyle Busch         Toyota
 6.  David Reutimann    Toyota
 7.  Jimmie Johnson     Chevrolet
 8.  Jeff Gordon        Chevrolet
 9.  Casey Mears        Toyota
10.  Ryan Newman        Chevrolet
11.  Tony Stewart       Chevrolet
12.  Denny Hamlin       Toyota
13.  Kevin Harvick      Chevrolet
14.  Matt Kenseth       Ford
15.  Mark Martin        Chevrolet
16.  Kasey Kahne        Ford
17.  Bobby Labonte      Chevrolet
18.  Dale Earnhardt Jr  Chevrolet

Showdown starting line-up:

Pos  Driver                Car
 1.  David Ragan           Ford
 2.  Max Papis             Toyota
 3.  Sam Hornish Jr        Dodge
 4.  Kevin Conway          Ford
 5.  Greg Biffle           Ford
 6.  Reed Sorenson         Toyota
 7.  Bill Elliott          Ford
 8.  AJ Allmendinger       Ford
 9.  Clint Bowyer          Chevrolet
10.  Robby Gordon          Toyota
11.  Regan Smith           Chevrolet
12.  Paul Menard           Ford
13.  Michael Waltrip       Toyota
14.  Juan Pablo Montoya    Chevrolet
15.  Norm Benning          Chevrolet
16.  Elliott Sadler        Ford
17.  Jeff Burton           Chevrolet
18.  Scott Speed           Toyota
19.  Marcos Ambrose        Toyota
20.  Martin Truex Jr       Toyota
21.  Todd Bodine           Toyota
22.  Robert Richardson Jr  Dodge
23.  JJ Yeley              Dodge
24.  Travis Kvapil         Ford
25.  Joe Nemechek          Toyota
26.  Carl Edwards          Ford
27.  Tony Raines           Chevrolet
28.  Derrike Cope          Dodge
29.  David Gilliland       Ford

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