Bristol qualifying canceled, Jesse Love gets pole after lightning stop
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 18, 2026
Bristol qualifying canceled
Lightning shut down O’Reilly Auto Parts Series qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway and NASCAR canceled the session before a lap could settle the starting order. The weather pushed the lineup decision to NASCAR’s metric formula, which set the field for the Food City 300 without a qualifying run. Love inherited the pole and Sheldon Creed moved to the outside of the front row. The cancellation changed the rhythm of the day at Bristol, where track position can matter from the first corners and every spot on the grid carries weight. Instead of a fight on the stopwatch, the race setup came from the formula NASCAR uses when qualifying cannot be completed. That left the teams with a fixed order and no chance to improve it on speed. Thirty-nine cars were entered, but only 38 were expected to start, so one entry would stay on the outside looking in once the formula was applied. Landon S. Huffman did not make the starting grid. The qualifying washout also put a sharper edge on the rest of the evening, because the lineup was now set and the focus turned to whether the race itself could stay on schedule. It also stripped away the chance to compare cars on raw speed and left NASCAR to lean on its backup plan.
Jesse Love pole
Love’s pole position gave him the best starting position available under the circumstances, and Creed’s front-row spot put him in line to challenge from the opening lap. For the drivers who made the field, the cancellation meant the next chance to gain ground would come in the race itself. The cancellation also underscored how quickly weather can reshape a race weekend at Bristol. The result was a starting order built on NASCAR’s procedure instead of the drivers’ laps, with Love first, Creed second and the rest of the lineup sorted behind them. Starting up front gives both drivers a clearer first step into the race. The track still had plenty of racing left, but the first key decision had already been made.
Food City 300 weather
NASCAR still planned to start the Food City 300 at 7:30 p.m. ET, and officials did not expect a full postponement. A brief delay remained possible if scattered storms returned later in the day. That kept the event on watch even after qualifying was called off, because the weather had already forced one change and could still make another. The schedule held the race at the planned time, and the hope was to get Bristol underway without losing the night. Teams could prepare around a set starting lineup, but they still had to follow the sky as race time approached. The threat was enough to leave some uncertainty, yet it did not knock the race off the board. The evening remained less about qualifying and more about whether the weather would leave enough room for a clean start.
