ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rain interrupted the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying at the streets of St. Petersburg, preventing the scheduled sessions from running. As a result, the starting grid for the race was determined using NASCAR’s metric system, which calculates lineup positions based on previous performance and points.
Connor Mosack was awarded the pole position under this system, with Gio Ruggiero earning the outside spot on the front row. The unusual weather conditions quickly altered the race weekend plans, injecting uncertainty and caution among competitors.
Notable Drivers and Debuts at St. Pete
A variety of well-known names from IndyCar and road course specialists gathered for this historic event, bringing excitement to the series’ first visit to these streets. Dario Franchitti, an IndyCar champion, returned behind the wheel for Tricon Garage, working alongside Jimmie Johnson, who joined as chief aggravation officer. Despite the brief warm-up, Franchitti will start in sixth place according to the metric standings.
James Hinchcliffe, another IndyCar veteran, steps into the No. 77 truck for Spire Motorsports, replacing Carson Hocevar for this event. Alongside Hinchcliffe is rookie Connor Mosack, making his debut in the Truck Series and set to take the top starting spot. Both drivers bring fresh energy to Spire Motorsports with their strong qualifying positions of first and fourth, respectively.
Ben Maier, recently crowned the zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series champion, makes his Truck Series debut for Niece Motorsports. Although he demonstrated promising speed in practice, he will start 35th due to the metric formula. Colin Braun, an IMSA regular and RAM’s free agent driver, also had limited track time, completing just a single lap without reaching full speed and will begin the race in 16th place.
Practice Highlights and Starting Positions
In brief practice sessions before rain halted activities, Kaden Honeycutt recorded the fastest lap with a 78.922-second circuit, followed closely by Ben Maier at 79.740 seconds. Ben Rhodes, James Hinchcliffe, and Ty Majeski completed the top five in practice times, showing strong potential despite the limited track time available due to weather interruptions.
The altered schedule and metric-based lineup introduction highlight the unpredictable conditions faced by teams and drivers at St. Petersburg, making the race outcome less certain and increasing the strategic challenges ahead.
