NASCAR Cup Series championship decider qualifying cancelled
Qualifying for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series title decider at Homestead has been cancelled and the four championship contenders handed the first two rows of the grid
After persistent rain showers washed out both Friday's planned practice sessions, NASCAR made the decision to forgo Saturday's scheduled qualifying session and replace it with 50 minutes of practice.
The starting line-up will be set by owners' points with the four title contenders placed 1-2-3-4 on the grid.
As per the rule book. Denny Hamlin will have pole position ahead of Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Busch.
With all four drivers tied in the standings due to the points reset, the order is based on their best finishes from the semi-final round of the playoffs.
Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, William Byron and Clint Bowyer will round out the top 10.
The first of NASCAR's 2019 national titles was decided on Friday night in the Truck Series race.
Matt Crafton claimed his third championship in the series by finishing second to Austin Hill, who had been knocked out of the title hunt at Phoenix last week.
ThorSport Ford driver Crafton did not win a race this season, but still made it through to the finale in title contention.
Cup finale starting grid
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 6 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 8 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 9 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 13 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 16 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 17 | Daniel Suarez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 20 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota |
| 22 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 23 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 24 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 25 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 28 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 29 | Corey LaJoie | Go FAS Racing | Ford |
| 30 | John Hunter Nemechek | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 31 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 32 | Joe Nemechek | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | J.J. Yeley | Petty Ware Racing | Ford |
| 35 | Reed Sorenson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 36 | Ross Chastain | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 37 | Drew Herring | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| 38 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 39 | B.J. McLeod | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 40 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
NASCAR risks having a boring 2020 Cup season finale
The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders
Diriyah E-Prix: Wehrlein holds off Dennis to charge to victory
Pascal Wehrlein made up eight places in the Diriyah E-Prix to take victory, holding off a late assault from Jake Dennis to take his second Formula E win.
GT3 Corvette Z06 unveiled for customer teams in 2024
Chevrolet has revealed the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R a year before it makes its competition debut at the 2024 Daytona 24 Hours.
Daytona 24: Cadillacs lead BMW in fourth practice
In the GTP teams’ penultimate practice ahead of the Daytona 24 Hours, Alexander Sims put Action Express Racing Cadillac on top from Ganassi, while Nick Yelloly lifted his BMW to third.
How women are tackling barriers in motorsport
Women’s participation in motorsport has hugely increased in recent years, with series such as W Series and Extreme E providing invaluable support for female drivers.
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.