Hurricane Isaias absolutely wrecked qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway, forcing a Sunday doubleheader and, even worse, triggering NASCAR’s much-debated “metric” system to set the starting grid. That decision has Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell absolutely steaming, especially after he’ll roll off 17th following power steering issues that left him 23rd last week in Las Vegas.
The Metric Nightmare Strikes Again
This whole “metric” thing for setting lineups when qualifying gets rained out factors in the previous race’s finish for the car at a whopping 70 percent, plus the team’s position in owner points at 30 percent. Now, it wasn’t a huge deal during the regular season, but in the 2026 Chase? It’s blown up. Three of the first six Chase races have had qualifying rained out, and with top 10 stage points being huge in the 10-race Chase, starting position is everything. Bell didn’t hold back his frustration, telling reporters Saturday that NASCAR needs to step up its game. “That sucks,” he said, flat out. “Not good. … We’re the top level of auto racing in America. You’re not going to see other top forms of motorsports line a race up without qualifying.” He believes NASCAR should put more effort into getting qualifying in, even if it means doing it hours before the race. He’s okay with the metric lining up the qualifying *order*, but he thinks they still need to *qualify*. You can feel the frustration, right?
Larson Benefits, Hamlin Faces a Climb
While Bell is fuming, Kyle Larson is absolutely cashing in, snagging the pole position for the Cup event. Chase Briscoe will start right outside him on the front row. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, who’s 40 points behind Larson in the standings, is stuck starting 12th. Hamlin admitted it’s gonna be “more challenging in the first stage,” but he doesn’t think it’ll stop him from challenging for the win. He knows Larson’s No. 1 pit stall is going to be “very beneficial.” Hamlin pointed out that without qualifying, they won’t have the chance to get an opening out of their pit, likely meaning an opening in, which is “a little disadvantage.” But he’s confident, saying it’s “nothing that speed can’t overcome.” Larson himself knows the power of the metric, crediting a front-row start at Kansas a couple of weeks ago, thanks to this very system, for helping him sweep the stages and win the race there. He did mention that Charlotte is a tougher track to hold the lead on because of less grip and surface, unlike Kansas where you can “maintain the lead pretty easily for three-quarters of the run.”
So, buckle up, because Sunday is going to be wild. The Cup event kicks off at 3 p.m. ET, followed by the O’Reilly Series race at 8 p.m. ET. With all this controversy bubbling, you know the racing is going to be intense on that 1.5-mile track.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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