Alex Bowman to start 37th in Xfinity Series after qualifying gets canceled at New Hampshire

Following the cancellation of the second consecutive Xfinity qualifying session, this time for the Sci Aps 200 race after last week's HyVee Perks 250 at Iowa, Alex Bowman will start from the back of the pack in the 37th position. The lineup for Saturday's New Hampshire race was determined by NASCAR's performance metric system that pushed Bowman behind. Not to mention, inclement weather on Friday also led to the cancellation of the Xfinity Series practice.

After finishing P8 at the Iowa Corn 350 in the Cup Series, Alex Bowman is set to pilot the #17 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports, making him the fourth and final HMS driver to compete in the Xfinity Series this year. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, who previously drove the #17 in the Xfinity Series, each notched wins at the Circuit of the Americas and Charlotte Motor Speedway, respectively this season.

Third HMS driver William Byron took part in two Xfinity races, finishing P11 at Darlington and P23 at Phoenix. Finally, Alex Bowman is set to take the current #17 Xfinity car for HMS. Hendrick Motorsports updated their fans about Bowman's qualifying position with a post on X, saying:

"Xfinity qualifying has been canceled. The lineup will be set by metric for tomorrow’s race. @Alex_Bowman will start 37th."

Owing to NASCAR's performance metric system, Cole Custer will start in the pole position at the Sci Aps 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, and Sheldon Creed will start second through fifth, respectively.

Last year also, the adverse weather conditions pushed the Cup Series race to Monday. This year, the forecast again shows a high chance of rain, potentially impacting the race schedule.

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Weather forecast for the USA Today 301 race at New Hampshire and Alex Bowman's chances of winning

As per the Weather Channel, there is a high chance of thundershowers on Saturday at 74%, with thunderstorms likely on Sunday at 70%. The weather could get better by Monday, with a 49% chance of scattered thunderstorms.

On the schedule, Cup Series practice is set for Saturday at 12:35 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 1:20 p.m. ET. While NASCAR races can't proceed in heavy rain, the cars are equipped to handle damp conditions with wet-weather tires, which were effectively used earlier this season at Richmond Raceway.

Meanwhile, looking at past performances at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ford and Toyota drivers have dominated, winning 17 of the last 18 races since 2012. Chevrolet’s sole victory during this period was secured by Kevin Harvick in 2016. Alex Bowman has an average finish of 23.4 on the track with just one top-10 finish of his 12 starts.

Denny Hamlin has consistently performed well on the track, boasting a 9.4 average finish and 19 top-10s, 11 top-5s, and three wins in 30 starts. Martin Truex Jr. has also shown strong form, leading a total of 1,170 laps across his 30 starts at the track with an average finish of 11.3, one win, nine top-5s, and 15 top-10s. Given these stats, both Joe Gibbs Racing drivers are expected to be strong this Saturday.