Qualifying was rained out on Friday at Atlanta, and the grid will line up by owner points. Credit: Autostock

Rain cancels qualifying for Cup race at Atlanta

Points leader Kenseth will start on Bud Pole for Sunday's race

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Persistent heavy rain wiped out all track activity at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, forcing NASCAR to set the Nextel Cup Series lineup by owner points.

Cars never saw the track on Friday at Atlanta. Credit: Autostock

Bass Pro Shops 500 Lineup (based on owner points) Pos. Driver Make 1. Matt Kenseth Ford 2. Kevin Harvick Chevy 3. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 4. Denny Hamlin Chevy 5. Jeff Burton Chevy 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 7. Mark Martin Ford 8. Kasey Kahne Dodge 9. Jeff Gordon Chevy 10. Kyle Busch Chevy • Complete lineup, click here Weather forecastCNN/Headline News forecasts this weekend's weather Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Chase leader Matt Kenseth will start from the pole for the first time this season.

The wipeout of events will also postpone the Nextel Cup debut of A.J. Allmendinger, who was attempting to make the Nextel Cup Bass Pro Shops 500 in Team Red Bull's No. 84 Dodge. Ironically, Bill Elliott, who made the race with a past champions' provisional, was initially slated to drive the No. 84.

The rain was so bad on Friday that six Nextel Cup regulars left early to head to Memphis to practice for Saturday's Sam's Town 250 Busch Series race.

The rain also affects the schedule for Saturday.

The Craftsman Truck Series will have an 80-minute practice starting at 9 a.m. ET, followed by Nextel Cup practice at 10:30 a.m. Final practice for the Bass Pro Shops 500 will be at 12:05 p.m., and qualifying for the truck race is scheduled to follow the Cup Happy Hour.

It was the second time this season that Atlanta Motor Speedway has been plagued by rain. The spring Nextel Cup race was postponed by weather until Monday, when Kasey Kahne won from the pole.

The weather is expected to improve considerably for the weekend. Saturday's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the high 60s, and Sunday's forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures near 70.