Tyler Reddick Takes Coca Cola 600 Pole After Rain Wipes Out Qualifying

Tyler Reddick will start on the pole for the coca cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway after persistent rain washed out NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Saturday. His No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota will lead the 400-lap race Sunday night, with rain still in the forecast for the crown jewel event.

Reddick Leads Charlotte Grid

Reddick gets the first spot in a lineup set by the NASCAR rule book, not by speed on the track. Ty Gibbs will join him on the front row in the No. 54 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell and Chase Briscoe complete the top five starters. That gives the front of the field a mix of championship-level regulars and drivers who had to wait for the weather to make the call.

Rain Shifts Saturday Plans

The rain did more than wipe out Cup qualifying. It also disrupted on-track activity for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series, and all three series set their lineups by the rule book.

Cup Series drivers still got some practice time on the track Saturday before the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series were scheduled to run. That left Charlotte with enough track action to sort out some preparation, but not enough to sort out the starting order the normal way.

Austin Hill And Legge

Austin Hill will start 13th in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, taking the place of Kyle Busch in his third Cup Series start on the 1 1/2-mile track. Katherine Legge will roll off 37th based on points.

Legge is set to become the first woman to attempt The Double by running both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. For teams and drivers, the weather moved the focus from qualifying laps to the lineup itself, with Sunday night’s race still carrying the risk of more rain.