Christopher Bell Urges NASCAR to Restore Qualifying at Charlotte

Christopher Bell is calling for NASCAR to make greater efforts to conduct Cup Series qualifying when weather disrupts the schedule, including on race day if conditions permit. A Saturday washout at Charlotte Motor Speedway canceled qualifying and practice, leaving the starting grid to be determined by NASCAR's performance metric and giving championship leader Kyle Larson the pole position.

The cancellation marked the fourth time qualifying had been called off during six Chase races, according to the source. The metric placed Bell 17th on Sunday's starting grid after he finished 23rd at Las Vegas in a race affected by power steering problems.

NASCAR's formula assigns 70 percent of the calculation to a driver's finish in the previous race and 30 percent to the owner's points position. When qualifying is canceled, those figures determine starting positions rather than merely establishing the order in which drivers take to the track.

Bell supports using the formula to determine qualifying order but wants the series to preserve actual time trials whenever possible.

"I think that we should put more effort into qualifying. And I'm OK with the metric of lining up the qualifying order. I just think we need to qualify," Bell said on Saturday.

NASCAR typically uses the metric to establish the qualifying order, with Chase drivers receiving the final qualifying slots. The sanctioning body is expected to review the system during the offseason, although no changes have been announced.

Larson benefited from the Charlotte cancellation, with the formula placing the No. 5 car on the pole. The Hendrick Motorsports driver also secured the first pit stall, while Las Vegas winner Chase Briscoe will start alongside him.

Larson enters the race with a 40-point advantage over Denny Hamlin, who is scheduled to start 12th on row six. The source reports that Larson opened the Chase with five consecutive top-five finishes and expects his team to continue concentrating on maximizing its results in each race.

Weather-related qualifying cancellations had already forced NASCAR to use the same metric at Darlington, Bristol and Kansas during the Chase. Starting deep in the field, however, has not prevented drivers from collecting stage points.

Ryan Blaney, for example, started 29th at Bristol, climbed to sixth by the end of Stage 1 and then won Stage 2. His performance demonstrated how drivers can recover from unfavorable starting positions during a race.

The loss of Saturday practice presents another challenge for teams preparing for Charlotte. Bubba Wallace crew chief Charles Denike described the additional demands placed on preparation and technical resources.

"puts all the pressure on our preparation and our tools and everything." Denike said.

Teams must rely on simulation data and setups developed at their shops before seeing how their cars respond to Charlotte's track surface. According to the source, crews have limited opportunities to make adjustments during the race without sacrificing track position, making initial car balance an important consideration.

The event also presents an unfamiliar challenge because Cup teams have never contested a fall oval race at Charlotte with the Next Gen car. The scheduled stages end on laps 80, 165 and 267, giving the race three segments compared with the four stages used in the Coca-Cola 600.

Those differences affect fuel calculations, tire management and setup decisions. Without Saturday's practice session, crew chiefs must prepare for the altered stage lengths without additional on-track data.

The weather disruption also turned Sunday into a NASCAR doubleheader. The Bank of America 400 remains scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on USA Network and HBO Max, while officials moved the Blue Cross NC 300 to 8 p.m. ET on The CW and ESPN Unlimited.

Charlotte Motor Speedway plans to open its parking lots at 8 a.m., the Fan Zone at 9 a.m. and ticket gates at noon. Saturday O'Reilly ticket holders may enter the grandstands after the Cup race's checkered flag and receive priority access to their reserved seats for the rescheduled event.