NASCAR postponed the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Blue Cross NC 300 on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, rescheduling the contest for Sunday night after heavy rainfall disrupted the weekend slate.
The postponement came as moisture associated with the remnants of Hurricane Isaias hit the region, forcing officials to call off on-track practice and qualifying sessions, USA TODAY Sports and Lead Lap Racing reported. The second-tier race was originally scheduled to run Saturday afternoon but will now get underway Sunday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. Eastern on the CW Network.
Doubleheader lineup set by NASCAR metric
With Saturday’s qualifying rained out, NASCAR determined the starting order through its established statistical formula. Carson Kvapil secured the pole position in the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Corey Day, who won the preceding round at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will line up alongside Kvapil on the outside of the front row in the No. 1 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Jesse Love starts third, followed by Brent Crews in fourth and Sam Mayer in fifth.
The rescheduled event will form a Sunday doubleheader at the 1.5-mile speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America 400 remains set for Sunday afternoon, with the green flag expected around 3:19 p.m. Eastern on USA Network, according to USA TODAY Sports. In that event, Cup points leader Kyle Larson will start from the pole alongside Chase Briscoe after Cup qualifying was also called off due to the weather.
The Blue Cross NC 300 represents the fifth event in the nine-race postseason Chase for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, which assumed its current title ahead of the 2026 campaign following 11 seasons under the Xfinity Series banner. Championship leader Sheldon Creed enters the weekend with a 19-point cushion over Kvapil, while Love, regular-season champion Justin Allgaier, Day and Mayer all sit within 52 points of the top spot, USA TODAY Sports reported.
Weather challenges and race day outlook
Running on Sunday evening marks a rare occurrence for NASCAR’s secondary division. The tour had not contested a Sunday night feature since the 2021 Cook Out 250 at Martinsville Speedway, which was also delayed by rain, according to USA TODAY Sports. Charlotte Motor Speedway experienced similar disruptions during May’s Coca-Cola 600 weekend, when precipitation repeatedly altered schedules and shortened races across multiple divisions.
National Weather Service projections cited by USA TODAY Sports call for showers and thunderstorms before 2 p.m. on Sunday, followed by a slight chance of rain until 3 p.m. and wind gusts reaching 25 mph. Conditions are expected to clear considerably by Sunday evening, with temperatures dropping near 60 degrees. Competitors will face the 300-mile distance across three scheduled stages of 45, 45 and 110 laps without the benefit of prior on-track practice data, leaving crew chiefs to guess on chassis setups under the lights.
