With the threat of rain and lightning, qualifying for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway was canceled. The starting line-up for tonight’s race was set by owner points. That means Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang will start the 400-miler from 20th place.
Track officials made the decision to set the field for the Monster Energy Cup Series race by points as they scrambled to get cars inspected for both the Cup and Xfinity series.
Menard and the No. 21 team got two chances to tune on their Menards/Dutch Boy Mustang. In the opening practice session they were 18th fastest with a best lap at 198.818 miles per hour. They were ninth best in a 10-lap consecutive run, posting an average speed of 198.296 miles per hour.
Eddie Wood said he’d rather the weather opened up for qualifying.
“I’d love to have gotten it in, but it didn’t work out,” he said, adding that it’s bittersweet this holiday weekend thinking it will be his and his family’s last time celebrating the Fourth of July on the beaches of Daytona as they have done for decades. “It’s the only way we’ve ever celebrated the Fourth.
“We won’t stop celebrating, we’ll just do it somewhere else next year.”
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is set to get the green flag tonight just after 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on NBC.
WBR PR
