Qualifying was rained out at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second time in the 2022 Cup Series season, prompting the sanctioning body to set the field using a formula instead of lap times. The Nascar Ford teams didn’t fare as well as they did in March, with just one Mustang starting within the top five, and three total in the top ten.
As a reminder, Nascar developed a formula to determine starting order if a qualifying event is canceled. The sanctioning body sets the field by taking into account a specific driver’s rank in points standings, their finish in the previous race, and rank of the driver’s fastest lap in the previous race.
Daytona 500 champion Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Mustang will start fifth after the above factors were calculated. The No. 12 Nascar Ford of Ryan Blaney will start behind him in sixth, while Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Mustang is the final Ford to start in the top ten, starting 10th.
Up front will be the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of Chase Elliott, who placed second in last week’s race at Road America. Ross Chastain in the No. 1 Camaro will start second, the No. 5 Camaro of Kyle Larson will start third, and most recent race winner Tyler Reddick will start fourth in his No. 8 Camaro.
Atlanta Motor Speedway was reconfigured for the 2022 season, resulting in a style of pack racing similar to superspeedways such as Daytona and Talladega. It has been colloquially referred to as “mini Daytona” leading up to this event, and the Nascar Ford teams were dominant early in the March race but fell back at the end. Weather permitting, the green flag will drop on Sunday, July 10th at 3 p.m. ET.
| Pos | Car Number | Driver | Team | Time | Speed | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 2 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Jockey Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 3 | 5 | Kyle Larson | HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 4 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 5 | 2 | Austin Cindric # | Menards/Quaker State Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Wabash Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 7 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Freeway Insurance Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 8 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Ally Milestone Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 9 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 11 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Fastenal Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Fr8Auctions.com Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 13 | 24 | William Byron | Axalta Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 14 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 15 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Rheem Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 16 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hooters Chevrolet | 32.941 | 136.608 | C |
| 16 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Coca-Cola Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 17 | 22 | Joey Logano | Autotrader Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 18 | 41 | Cole Custer | HaasTooling.com Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 20 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | #BuschLightPolite Ford | 33.019 | 136.285 | C |
| 19 | 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M's Crunchy Cookie Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 22 | 38 | Todd Gilliland # | First Phase Ford | 33.055 | 136.137 | C |
| 20 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Kroger/Ball Park Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 21 | 45 | Kurt Busch | Monster Energy Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 22 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Ford Pro Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 23 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Allegiant Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 24 | 31 | Justin Haley | LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 25 | 43 | Erik Jones | FOCUSfactor Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 26 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 27 | 21 | Harrison Burton # | Freightliner Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 28 | 38 | Todd Gilliland # | YANMAR Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 29 | 16 | Noah Gragson(i) | Gold Fish Casino Slots Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 30 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Raze Energy Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 31 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Solomon Plumbing Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 32 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | leidos Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 33 | 15 | Garrett Smithley(i) | True Brands Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 34 | 51 | Cody Ware | Nurtec ODT Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 35 | 78 | BJ McLeod(i) | Blaster Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 36 | 77 | Landon Cassill(i) | Voyager: Crypto for All Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
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