Charlotte Motor Speedway postpones Blue Cross NC 300 to Sunday night
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 10, 2026
Weather changes the schedule
Officials moved the Blue Cross NC 300 from Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway after forecasted inclement weather threatened the NASCAR weekend. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race will now run after the Bank of America 400, which remains scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday. The change keeps the second half of the doubleheader in place while pushing the series race into the night, a shift prompted by weather concerns that hung over the entire event. The rescheduling also changed the pace of the weekend for teams and fans who had expected to see the O’Reilly Series take the track on Saturday. Instead, the race now sits behind the Cup Series event on Sunday’s schedule, with both races still set for the same weekend. Hurricane Isaias was the storm system threatening the Charlotte event, and the weather picture forced NASCAR and track officials to act before the first green flag of the race weekend. Practice and qualifying for both series were canceled, leaving the field and the order to be sorted without any on-track sessions before race day.
NASCAR sets lineup
NASCAR set the starting lineup with the NASCAR Metric system, and Carson Kvapil earned the pole for the 38-car field. Corey Day lined up second, Jesse Love third, Brent Crews fourth and Sam Mayer fifth, placing those drivers at the front of the lineup. Taylor Gray, Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed, William Sawalich and Rajah Caruth filled out the top 10 starting spots. The metric-based lineup followed the cancellation of practice and qualifying, so the field was ordered without any laps on the track. All 38 entries made the race, which kept the full field intact despite the weather disruption. The pole for Kvapil set the tone for a top group that came together from NASCAR’s system rather than from speed on the track, and it gave the group a clear place at the front when the race goes green. With no qualifying laps and no practice data, the starting order became one of the central storylines of the weekend, because it shaped how the race would open and which drivers would begin with the best track position.
Ticket holders gain access
Saturday ticket holders were allowed into the grandstands after the Cup race, a move that gave fans a way to salvage part of the day even after the schedule changed. Reserved seating for the rescheduled O’Reilly race also received priority for Saturday ticket holders, giving them the first chance to use their seats when the Blue Cross NC 300 shifted to Sunday night. The policy helped soften the blow for fans who arrived expecting a Saturday race and instead had to adjust to a new timetable. Charlotte Motor Speedway kept the event on the weekend card, and the ticket plan gave existing buyers a clear path to stay involved once the weather forced the move. The sequence left the Cup race first, then the Blue Cross NC 300 later in the night, with the grandstand policy built around that revised order. For the track and NASCAR, the focus turned from the weather delay to making the weekend workable for fans already on site. The full field still stood, the lineup was set, and the race remained on the schedule. The shift changed the timing, but it did not change the makeup of the event or the fact that 38 cars were ready to compete when the green flag finally drops.
