Larson gets Charlotte pole after Cup qualifying canceled

NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 10, 2026

Rain reshapes lineup

Kyle Larson will start on the pole for Sunday’s Bank of America 400 after rain wiped out Cup Series practice and qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR canceled both sessions on Saturday and used its metric formula to set the lineup, which pushed Larson to the front of the field without a lap in qualifying. The result gives him the cleanest opening spot for a race that already carries weight in the standings and in the rhythm of the weekend. With no track time available for the Cup field, the lineup came together through the method NASCAR turns to when weather shuts down a session, and Larson came out on top. Chase Briscoe will join him on the front row in second, with Tyler Reddick set to roll off third. Ryan Blaney will start fourth. Austin Cindric takes fifth. William Byron lines up sixth. Joey Logano is seventh. Bubba Wallace is eighth. Chase Elliott starts ninth, and Shane van Gisbergen rounds out the top 10. Larson’s pole keeps him in control of track position before the green flag drops, and it gives his team a clear advantage going into a race that can swing quickly on strategy, pit road and caution timing.

Front row fills

The order behind Larson sets up a deep opening stretch for Sunday’s race. The drivers packed near the front will have an immediate chance to challenge if they can keep pace early, while the lead group remains close enough to attack if the race opens up in the first stage. Several front-running cars are grouped near the top of the grid, adding more proven names to the mix and keeping them within striking distance of the lead pack. Because NASCAR had to rely on the metric formula, the grid was set without qualifying speed, and that changes the shape of the early laps. Drivers who usually try to build momentum with a fast qualifying run instead have to work from the order NASCAR handed down after the rain. That makes the first stage more about execution than fireworks, because track position already belongs to the drivers who landed near the front. It also gives teams a fixed target before the race begins, since no one got the chance to improve a starting spot in qualifying or compare race trim in practice. The front 10 now enters Sunday with Larson out front, Briscoe beside him and the rest of the lead group packed behind them in a lineup built by formula, not by speed on the track.

Hamlin closes gap

Denny Hamlin starts 12th, and that puts him in chase mode before the race even begins. He entered the event second in the standings, 40 points behind Larson, so the pole winner already holds the edge in the title race and the better starting spot on the track. Hamlin’s position near the front half of the grid still leaves him with a workable path, but it also means he has to work through traffic if he wants to limit the damage to Larson or flip the order early. That makes his starting spot one of the more important details in the lineup, because the points battle and the race for stage position are tied together from the drop of the green flag. Larson’s pole gives him the chance to extend the margin if he runs cleanly and stays ahead of the contenders around him. Hamlin has a shot to answer, but his path begins six spots behind the top 10 and 40 points in arrears. The rain that ended practice and qualifying also removed the chance for teams to make a late adjustment based on lap times, which puts more pressure on the opening run and the decisions that follow. Sunday’s Bank of America 400 now opens with Larson on the point, a stacked group behind him and Hamlin trying to climb from 12th while tracking the driver who beat him to the front of the field.