By Christian Koelle, Staff Writer
HAMPTON, Ga. – After continuous battles with “Mother Nature” luck was not on the side of NASCAR on this St. Patricks Day.
Both NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying sessions at Atlanta Motor Speedway have been canceled by NASCAR after continuous rain showers and a bleak forecast for the remainder of Friday.
Both fields will be set by the NASCAR Rule Book.
Phoenix Raceway winner Sammy Smith will lead the field to green followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate John Hunter Nemechek.
Last Fall’s Atlanta winner Austin Hill will start third while Ryan Truex and Riley Herbst round out the top-five starting spots.
With 39 cars entered, the No. 74 of Dawson Cram will be headed home as Mike Harmon Racing is handed its fourth DNQ of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
As for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Zane Smith and Ty Majeski will be on the front row.
Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes, and Carson Hocevar will round out the top-five starting positions in Saturday’s Fr8 Auctions 208.
With 36 trucks entered, all trucks qualify for Saturday’s race.
The Fr8 Auctions 208 kicks off Saturday’s action at 2 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcasted live on FOX Sports 1 and on the Performance Racing Network. The Xfinity Series RAPTOR 250 is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. ET following the conclusion of the Truck race.