Qualifying cancelled due to rain

This puts points leader Matt Kenseth on the pole, and recent history suggests that this will be a massive advantage on the tight track. Jeff Burton lead all 300 laps on the flat, one-mile oval in a race here in Autrumn 2001, an almost unprecedented feat in NASCAR.

"Not qualifying today, because I'm high up in the points, is an advantage for me," said Jeff Gordon, who will start second. "The less time the competition has on the track, the bigger advantage the guys that tested will have.

"Maybe there are a lot of guys out there, who because they didn't test could be pretty far off. It could really separate the field. It's not going to hurt us either way."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start third, with Bobby Labonte fourth and Michael Waltrip fifth.

Less fortunate were teams which had no points or provisional starting spots. Tim Sauter (hoping to drive Dave Marcis' car), Larry Foyt, David Reutimann (in a second Morgan-McClure car) and Carl Long were the four who missed the cut, with Morgan Shepherd's the last car in on criteria.