LAS VEGAS – Persistent rain forced the cancellation of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, barely 90 minutes after NASCAR Xfinity Series time trials were also washed out.
It’s just the second time in track history that Cup Series qualifying has been cancelled, following a similar rainstorm in the desert in March of 2013.
As a result, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. will make up the front row for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400, with the grid set based on owner points from 2019 as per the rule book.
Busch won Friday’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Las Vegas and scored his lone Cup Series victory at his home track in 2009, 11 years ago.
Truex is the most recent Cup Series winner at Las Vegas, having won the playoff race at the track in September.
Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin will share the second row of the grid, followed by Joey Logano in fifth.
Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Chase Elliott filled out the first five rows of the grid for Sunday’s race.
Jimmie Johnson, who paced Cup Series practice on Friday evening, rolls off 18th.
After the official qualifying washout, NASCAR officials confirmed that three Toyota teams – the No. 11 of Hamlin, the No. 18 of Busch and the No. 95 of Christopher Bell – were assessed L1-level penalties for issues with the nose area of their respective cars.
All three will have to drop to the rear of the field on the pace laps Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 is slated for a 3:30 p.m. ET start, with live coverage on FOX, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
LINEUP: NASCAR Cup Series; Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Feb. 22, 2020
1. Kyle Busch
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Joey Logano
6. Kyle Larson
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Clint Bowyer
10. Chase Elliott
11. William Byron
12. Alex Bowman
13. Kurt Busch
14. Aric Almirola
15. Ross Chastain
16. Erik Jones
17. Cole Custer
18. Jimmie Johnson
19. Matt DiBenedetto
20. Ryan Preece
21. Austin Dillon
22. Christopher Bell
23. Chris Buescher
24. Ty Dillon
25. Tyler Reddick
26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
27. Darrell Wallace Jr.
28. Michael McDowell
29. John Hunter Nemechek
30. Corey LaJoie
31. Joey Gase
32. Quin Houff
33. Brennan Poole
34. Garrett Smithley
35. Daniel Suarez
36. Reed Sorenson
37. JJ Yeley
38. Timmy Hill