Trucks sit under weather covers Friday in the rain at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Jacob Seelman photo)

By Jacob Seelman, SWN News Editor

CONCORD, N.C. (May 22, 2026) – Perhaps it was a symbol from above, but rain showers that moved over Charlotte Motor Speedway roughly 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying Friday allowed for one more nod to the late Kyle Busch.

The dampening of the 1.5-mile quad oval forced the cancelation of time trials and forced the starting lineup for the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 to be set by the NASCAR rule book, reverting to the qualifying metric.

As such – courtesy of his Truck Series win a week ago at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway – the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet that was scheduled to be driven by Busch will start first Friday night, weather permitting.

Though it won’t go down in the record books as any sort of an official pole position, one could call it a “posthumous pole” so to speak for the driver that set nearly every major statistical mark in the history of the division.

Corey Day will replace Busch in the driver’s seat for the 10th race of the Truck Series season, as HendrickCars.com was supporting Busch’s Truck races this year and also backs Day in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Joining Day on the front row will be Front Row Motorsports’ Layne Riggs, with TRICON Garage’s Kaden Honeycutt and ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski sharing row two of the lineup.

Honeycutt’s teammate Brandon Jones rolls off fifth, followed by Leland Honeyman Jr., making his first start in the Halmar Friesen Racing No. 62 Toyota.

Truck Series veterans Christian Eckes, Chandler Smith, Jake Garcia, and Corey LaJoie round out the top 10 starters.

The other two Spire Motorsports Chevrolets, driven this week by Connor Zilisch (No. 77) and Shane van Gisbergen (No. 71), start 24th and 35th, respectively.

Spire Motorsports purchased the assets of Busch’s eponymous Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, at the end of the 2023 season.

With 37 trucks entered for 36 starting spots, Caleb Costner was the lone driver who failed to qualify by virtue of being lowest in owner points.

Due to the potential for additional inclement weather, the green flag for Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250 has been moved up to 7:30 p.m. ET, live on FS1, the NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.