MILLINGTON, Tenn., Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Qualifying for the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Sam's Town 250 was canceled Friday due to wet track conditions at Memphis Motorsports Park.
The qualifying runs were to have started at 1:05 p.m. EDT, but heavy overnight rains made it impossible for drivers to practice and qualify as scheduled at the 3/4-mile paved speedway.
As a result, the starting field was determined by points for Saturday's race, putting Busch Series leader Kevin Harvick's Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the pole, with Jason Keller's Ford Taurus next to him.
The Fords of Jeff Green and Greg Biffle were in the second row in the 43-card field, followed by Johnny Sauter's Chevrolet and Elton Sawyer's Ford.
Harvick is the defending champion of this event, passing Green on lap 180 and leading the final 71 laps. Green won the race's first two poles and took the checkered flag in the inaugural 1999 event.
Driving the Chevy of the late Dale Earnhardt, Harvick has raced a nearly complete schedule of Winston Cup and Busch events this season.
But with a 186-point lead over Keller with four races left, Harvick decided to focus on the Busch championship and skipped qualifying and practices for Sunday's Winston Cup Old Dominion 500 in Martinsville, Va.
Rick Mast will sit in for Harvick in qualifying and practice sessions for the Winston Cup race.
The 25-year-old Harvick was Busch Rookie of the Year in 2000 and was expected to drive that circuit full-time in 2001 before Earnhardt's death at the Daytona 500 in February.
Car owner Richard Childress thrust Harvick into Winston Cup and the young driver made an immediate impact by winning his third start at Atlanta. He also won at Chicago and is eighth in the Winston Cup standings.
