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Rain Cancels Qualifying; Gibbs Takes Pole, Blaney Falls 37th

7/20/2026

37 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Rain canceled qualifying for Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro, so NASCAR used a 70%/30% metric to set grid.
Ryan Blaney dropped from pole to 37th after a power-steering problem forced his car to the rear.
Ty Gibbs inherited pole with Christopher Bell on the front row.
Ross Chastain, Austin Hill and Connor Zilisch each failed inspection and lost pit selection and crew chiefs.
Chastain received a drive-through penalty.

History

Historical Context

Whenever weather or other issues have halted qualifying, NASCAR has turned to points-based grids, as seen in 2012 when rain at Auto Club Speedway kept Jimmie Johnson in the top ten despite an oil leak. The recent suspension of on-track qualifying for the Daytona 500 continues that pattern of replacing traditional qualifying with statistical methods.

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Story summary

Rain canceled qualifying for Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro, so NASCAR used a 70%/30% metric to set grid.
Ryan Blaney dropped from pole to 37th after a power-steering problem forced his car to the rear.
Ty Gibbs inherited pole with Christopher Bell on the front row.
Ross Chastain, Austin Hill and Connor Zilisch each failed inspection and lost pit selection and crew chiefs.
Chastain received a drive-through penalty.

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