Nascar Race Today: Qualifying canceled at Atlanta; Chase Elliott to start fourth

HAMPTON, Ga. — nascar race today, Cup Series qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway was canceled after lightning moved into the area, forcing NASCAR to set the starting lineup by the governing body's metric. The decision leaves Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team lined up fourth for Sunday.

Nascar Race Today: Lightning wipes out Saturday qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Mother Nature claimed its first victim on Saturday in terms of the NASCAR schedule at Atlanta Motor Speedway when lightning in the area led officials to nix Cup Series qualifying. With on-track time lost, the starting lineup was set by the governing body's metric rather than on-track qualifying laps.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team inherit fourth after Daytona result

Chase Elliott will line up fourth on Sunday afternoon after a fourth-place finish in last week's DAYTONA 500, a sequence that left the No. 9 team well positioned once the metric setting was applied. The context noted that the outcome of the metric was "likely just fine" for Elliott and his crew.

Hendrick Motorsports drivers' starting slots: Byron, Larson and Bowman

Rounding out the Hendrick Motorsports contingent, William Byron will roll off 13th, Kyle Larson 16th and Alex Bowman 36th on the metric-set grid. Those positions follow the cancellation of qualifying and reflect how the governing body's formula rearranged the field.

Sunday's schedule: 3 p. m. ET start and national broadcast on FOX

Sunday's race is set for a 3 p. m. ET start and will air on FOX. The original coverage also included a full starting grid listing for reference, though those grid details are not reproduced here.

Related items noted alongside the lineup story

The coverage referenced a separate item titled "429 Too Many Requests. " It also flagged two related features: "The Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus dynasty, part one" and "More on Elliott and Gustafson's 10-year pairing. "

For fans following nascar race today, the metric-set lineup and the 3 p. m. ET broadcast on FOX are the immediate takeaways as the field prepares to race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.