Rain wipes out NASCAR qualifying

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LAS VEGAS, March 8 (UPI) -- Steady rains Friday forced the cancellation of qualifying for the Kobalt Tools 400 Sprint Cup race scheduled for Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was the first time in the history of NASCAR racing at the Las Vegas track that weather had wiped out qualifying. Sprint Cup races have been held at the 1.5-mile track since 1998.

If no qualifying can be held early in the season, the points list from the previous year is used to determine the starting field. That means defending series champion Brad Keselowski will start on the pole.

"I guess it's one of the perks of being the champion in the first few races," Keselowski said.

Clint Bowyer will join Keselowski on the front row, followed by Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle.

The next five on the starting grid will be Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon.