NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying had to be canceled due to overnight rains at the Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday. Track drying crews have been working feverishly all morning long on getting the 1.5-mile facility dry in time for the qualifying session. The 63 degree temperatures in the area have not helped the drying process at all. NASCAR was also forced to cancel the second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice session due to a damp track.
NASCAR will use practice speeds to determine the starting lineup for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge 300. That will put Austin Dillon on the pole as he chases his fifth XFINITY Series win of the year. The North Carolina native holds 11 top five and 14 top 10 finishes through 17 starts this year. It also marks the seventh pole of the season for the 25-year old driver.
Brad Keselowski will start on Dillon’s outside in the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford. Keselowski comes into the weekend looking to capture his second win of the year in the series. The Michigan native has six top five and seven top 10 finishes over the course of seven starts. The No. 22 Discount Tire Ford is currently leading the owner point standings over the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Erik Jones comes into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge 300 looking to capture his second win of the weekend. Jones is the only driver who will compete in all three races over the weekend at Texas and could go for a sweep. The 19-year old driver will start in the third position when the field receives the green later Saturday afternoon.
Defending race winner Kyle Busch will begin the race in the sixth position. Busch enters Texas with 18 career starts at the facility and holds seven victories, 14 top five and 15 top 10 finishes. Busch has an average finish of 7.0 in the series at the 1.5-mile oval.
Chris Buescher will have some work to do when the field receives the green later this afternoon. Buescher will begin the 300-mile event in the 12th starting position in his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. The Texas native enters the weekend with a 27-point lead over defending champion Chase Elliott. Elliott will start two positions ahead of Buescher in 10th.
About Me: Brett has been following the sport of NASCAR since the beginning of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Since Brett was 13, he has had a passion of chasing a job in sports that not many get the opportunity of doing. He has been in the NASCAR media since the middle of the 2010 season. Since then, he has been a part of many racing podcast shows to improve his talents. He has written for racingonfuel.com and theracingwheel.com. Currently, Brett writes for motorsportsnat.com and TracksideChatter.com. You can find him on twitter @NASCAR_Brett.
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