Rain wreaked havoc on Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, March 17th, 2023, canceling all on-track activity, including qualifying for the Xfinity Series race. As a result, the lineups were set by formula rather than on-track speeds, placing the best NASCAR Chevy in fourth after a trio of Toyota Supras.
As a reminder, in the event that qualifying cannot be completed for any reason, NASCAR relies on a formula in order to set the lineup. This formula takes into account an individual driver’s performance in the previous weekend’s race with the following metrics:
- Fastest lap time position (15 percent)
- Driver’s final race position (25 percent)
- Owner’s final race position (25 percent)
- Owner points position (35 percent)
Therefore, the best NASCAR Chevy team, the No. 21 Camaro of Austin Hill, will start third. While Hill has already claimed two wins in the Xfinity Series, the No. 18 Supra of Sammy Smith and the No. 20 Supra of John Hunter Nemechek will start on the front row thanks to their superior performances in the last series race. The No. 19 Supra of Ryan Truex, meanwhile, will start directly behind Hill’s No. 21 NASCAR Chevy in fourth, while the No. 98 Ford Mustang of Riley Herbst will start fifth.
The Xfinity Series race at Atlanta is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 18th, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET, weather permitting. NASCAR did not provide a lineup for this event, but the starting grid can be viewed on its website.
In other stock car racing news, several NASCAR Chevy Cup Series teams were heavily penalized for unapproved modifications of single-source parts, putting a damper on The Bow Tie’s dominant 2023 season across all three of the top series. Additionally, Xfinity Series regular, Josh Berry, who typically pilots the No. 8 Camaro in the division, will continue to sub for Chase Elliott this weekend in the No. 9 Camaro as Elliott continues to recover from his injuries.
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