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NASCAR facing a bizarre weather trend that almost seems fake

The NASCAR Cup Series has seen nine canceled qualifying sessions in 2026, yet zero races have even needed to be postponed.

By Asher Fair · Beyond the Flag

Published: Monday, 12 October 2026 at 3:00 PM

Key Things to Know

NASCAR has experienced nine canceled Cup Series qualifying sessions due to rain in 2026 without a single race postponement.
Four qualifying sessions were canceled during the first six playoff races, surpassing the total cancelations from 2024 and 2025 combined.
NASCAR has avoided postponements by proactively moving up race start times at Daytona, Pocono, and New Hampshire.

The Story in 60 Seconds

The NASCAR Cup Series has encountered a bizarre weather pattern in 2026, seeing nine qualifying sessions canceled due to rain while zero races have been postponed. Four of those cancelations occurred during the first six postseason race weekends, compared to only four cancelations across the entirety of 2024 and 2025 combined.

Beyond the Flag notes that despite frequent qualifying rainouts, NASCAR has avoided race postponements by proactively adjusting start times, including at Daytona, Pocono, and New Hampshire. While the qualifying metric used to set grids has drawn scrutiny, the lack of race day postponements remains a notable silver lining.

Read the full article on Beyond the Flag

NASCAR facing a bizarre weather trend that almost seems fake

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