Mother Nature is back to spoil everyone’s fun. On the same day the FIA World Endurance Championship‘s 1000 Miles of Sebring in the neighbouring state of Florida was shortened for weather, NASCAR‘s Friday on-track activities at Atlanta Motor Speedway were cancelled due to rain. All three national series—Cup, Xfinity, Camping World Truck Series—consequently lost practice and qualifying sessions for the day, meaning the starting lineups were instead set using the qualifying formula devised for non-qualifying races during the COVID-19 pandemic seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Pending weather, all three series still intend to practice on Saturday. Such sessions will be important as NASCAR’s first excursions on a reconfigured Atlanta.
With no qualifying, Chase Briscoe will start Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on the pole ahead of Team Penske‘s Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano for a Ford sweep of the top three positions. Briscoe is coming off his first career Cup victory at Phoenix.
“Car drove absolutely PERFECT in qualifying, proud of my guys,” joked Briscoe.
With only thirty-seven cars entered, everyone makes the race. Including the chartered cars, Greg Biffle and NY Racing Team will make their third start of 2022 after skipping Phoenix. Driver changes from Phoenix come in Spire Motorsports‘ #77 and Rick Ware Racing‘s multi-man #15, which respectively go from the hands of Landon Cassill to Josh Bilicki and Garrett Smithley to Georgia native David Ragan.
The Xfinity and Truck Series will race on Saturday with the Nalley Cars 250 and Fr8 208, respectively. Noah Gragson, also a winner at Phoenix, starts on the pole for the Xfinity event alongside JR Motorsports team-mate Josh Berry. Smith also won his series’ most recent event at Las Vegas two weeks ago.
Although races without qualifying have expanded grids to thirty-eight from the usual thirty-six, there are no DNQs in the Trucks as thirty-six drivers are entered. Starting last will be Cup driver Ross Chastain in a fifth entry for Niece Motorsports.
Conversely, five entries will not run the Xfinity race: David Starr, Brennan Poole, Chad Finchum, Dillon Bassett, and Harrison Rhodes. Bassett and his family-owned Bassett Racing have been snakebit since launching its Xfinity programme in 2021, with all but one race entered having ended with a DNQ due to rain-outs and non-qualifying events.
Cup starting lineup
| Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 9 | 45 | Kurt Busch | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 16 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 17 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 19 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 21 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 24 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 25 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 26 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 27 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 28 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 30 | 16 | Noah Gragson* | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 32 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 33 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 78 | B.J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 35 | 15 | David Ragan | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 36 | 77 | Josh Bilicki* | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 37 | 44 | Greg Biffle | NY Racing Team | Chevrolet |
* – Ineligible for series points
Xfinity starting lineup
| Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 4 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | 18 | Trevor Bayne | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 10 | Landon Cassill | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 68 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 16 | 02 | Brett Moffitt | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | 26 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | 4 | Bayley Currey | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 66 | J.J. Yeley | MBM Motorsports | Ford |
| 22 | 31 | Myatt Snider | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 07 | Joe Graf Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford |
| 24 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 25 | 99 | Stefan Parsons | B.J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 26 | 91 | Mason Massey | DGM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 27 | 23 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 28 | 92 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | 44 | Sage Karam | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 48 | Jade Buford | Big Machine Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford |
| 32 | 6 | Ryan Vargas | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | 5 | Matt Mills | B.J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford |
| 34 | 38 | Loris Hezemans* | RSS Racing | Toyota |
| 35 | 35 | Shane Lee | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 36 | 78 | Josh Williams | B.J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 37 | 45 | Tommy Joe Martins | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | 34 | Jesse Iwuji | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| DNQ | 08 | David Starr | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford |
| DNQ | 47 | Brennan Poole | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet |
| DNQ | 13 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| DNQ | 77 | Dillon Bassett | Bassett Racing | Chevrolet |
| DNQ | 52 | Harrison Rhodes | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet |
Truck starting lineup
| Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 18 | Chandler Smith | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 2 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota |
| 4 | 66 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 15 | Tanner Gray | David Gilliland Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota |
| 11 | 17 | Ryan Preece | David Gilliland Racing | Ford |
| 12 | 4 | John Hunter Nemechek | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 13 | 40 | Dean Thompson | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 20 | Matt Mills* | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota |
| 16 | 98 | Christian Eckes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota |
| 17 | 30 | Tate Fogleman | On Point Motorsports | Toyota |
| 18 | 19 | Derek Kraus | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | 51 | Corey Heim | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 20 | 61 | Chase Purdy | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota |
| 21 | 44 | Kris Wright | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 24 | Jack Wood | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota |
| 24 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 25 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 26 | 91 | Colby Howard | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet |
| 27 | 1 | Hailie Deegan | David Gilliland Racing | Ford |
| 28 | 43 | Thad Moffitt | GMS Racing with Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | 33 | Chris Hacker | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| 30 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 46 | Matt Jaskol | G2G Racing | Toyota |
| 32 | 9 | Blaine Perkins | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | 3 | Jordan Anderson | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 02 | Jesse Little | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 35 | 47 | Brennan Poole* | G2G Racing | Toyota |
| 36 | 41 | Ross Chastain* | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |