NASCAR opted to cancel O'Reilly Auto Parts Series qualifying and instead allow the series to run a practice session on Saturday ahead of Saturday's race at Chicagoland Speedway, the first series race at the track since 2019, since Friday's practice session was canceled due to rain.
If weather is a factor on Saturday when it comes to Cup Series qualifying, there is little reason to believe that NASCAR will hesitate to cancel that as well, with the priority being practice since Sunday night's 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Joliet, Illinois oval is also set to be the first Cup race at the track in seven years.
Cup practice was able to be run on Friday night without issue, so NASCAR would not have to worry about fitting in a practice session on Saturday either way.
And as of now, it looks like bad weather very well might become a factor on Saturday as well.
According to AccuWeather, there is a 99% chance of heavy thunderstorms, including "flooding downpours, hail, and damaging wind gusts" throughout Saturday in Joliet.
If qualifying is indeed canceled, which has been the case for four oval races already in 2026, NASCAR would set the starting lineup the same way they determine qualifying orders, but in reverse order.
The drivers with the lower (better) metric scores would start toward the front, while the drivers with the higher (better) metric scores would start toward the back. The current metric, which factors in each car's finish in the most recent race and its position in the owner standings, was introduced in 2025 as the replacement for the more complicated formula that was used from 2020 to 2024.
Here's how the 38-car field is set to line up for Sunday's eero 400 if Saturday's qualifying session is canceled.
Full Chicagoland NASCAR Cup lineup if qualifying is canceled
Order | Driver |
|---|---|
1 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
2 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
3 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
4 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford |
5 | Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
6 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
7 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford |
8 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
9 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
10 | Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
11 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
12 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford |
13 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford |
14 | Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
15 | Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford |
16 | Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
17 | Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
18 | A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
19 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
20 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota |
21 | Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
22 | Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
23 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet |
24 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford |
25 | Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet |
26 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
27 | John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
28 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota |
29 | Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
30 | Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
31 | Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota |
32 | Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
33 | Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
34 | Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
35 | Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet |
36 | Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
37 | Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota |
38 | J.J. Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet |
There is also a 55% chance of thunderstorms on Sunday, but those storms, if present, are not expected to be as severe as Saturday's. As of now, the eero 400 is set to be shown live on TNT from Chicagoland Speedway starting at 6:00 p.m. ET. Don't miss the first race of the second half of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, which is also race number two of the second annual In-Season Challenge tournament!
