NASCAR News: Darlington Qualifying wiped out by weather

By Mark Cipolloni via AutoRacing1.com,,

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Lightning, not lap times, decided the grid for the Cook Out Southern 500. Persistent nearby strikes on a sweltering Saturday afternoon forced NASCAR to cancel both practice and Busch Light Pole Qualifying at Darlington Raceway, wiping out the only scheduled on-track session before the Chase presented by Mobil 1 opener. Officials never got a drop of rain on the 1.366-mile egg, but after roughly two hours of weather holds they determined there was not enough time to run a session before the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. It was the sixth cancelled Cup qualifying of 2026 and…