Rain hampers Cup Pocono practice

The cancellation of both sessions means that some drivers will enter Sunday's race with just a handful of laps of running. Others like Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne completed 22 laps in Friday's only session, focusing also on race-trim instead of only qualifying.

However, teams can still rely on the information and settings they have from the June event, which ran six weeks ago under very hot conditions. Before that, all teams had tested at the 2.5-mile tri-oval for two days using additional aids like the telemetry that is forbidden on race weekends.

The change in the schedule also allowed Clint Bowyer and other Sprint Cup drivers racing at Montreal today in the Nationwide series to leave the track earlier than planned and attempt to qualify their cars at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"We got a little bit of race runs," said Bowyer about his work on Friday's practice session at Pocono. "It isn't like we haven't been here in two or three years. We were just here six weeks ago so everybody kind of knows what to expect as far as the track goes.

"This track does swing a lot weather related. When it clouds up, it gains a lot of grip and a lot of speed and when the sun breaks it gets slick and greasy. That has a lot to do with the outcome of the race and hopefully it will be just fine."

Jimmie Johnson, who completed just seven laps on Friday's practice, will start Sunday's Sprint Cup race from pole position for the second week in a row.