After a day of sitting around and waiting to gain the upper hand on the track, Mother Nature won out for the third week in a row. NASCAR officials decided to cancel qualifying for both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after a mist thwarted track drying efforts. Starting line-ups for both series will be set by owner points.

Not only the third week in a row, this marks the tenth time this season that rain has gained the upper hand and forced NASCAR's hand its canceling on-track activity.

Once again, the twelve Chase drivers will start Sunday's race at the head of the field with Jimmie Johnson leading the way.

"You can't say NASCAR didn't try to get everything in today," Johnson said. "Give NASCAR a ton of effort for trying. It is what it is and we'll take that starting spot and go on for tomorrow."

Johnson explained he had 'mixed feelings' about qualifying being postponed. On one hand, he explained, the man everyone is chasing in the points is excited to start out front once again, but Johnson really hoped the qualifying session could have mixed things up a little bit.

"I could have been top-10 in qualifying and others in the Chase could have started in the back," Johnson pointed out. "If you start in the top-5 its much easier to stay in the top-5 as apposed to starting in the top15 and working your way into the top-5."

Starting second, Greg Biffle sees the biggest advantage for Johnson as being able to choose that first pit stall.

"The thing that does stink about it is, obviously, Jimmie Johnson gets that first pit box and it's a distinct advantage on pit road to have that first pit box," Biffle explained. "I'm not saying he wouldn't have qualified there, but somebody else might, but that's the only thing I see as a disadvantage."

Biffle went on to explain having the field set by points for the third time in the Chase makes the races "kind of boring." With all of the top-12 drivers bunched together at the front of the pack, Biffle believes the excitement of watching drivers drive up through the pack is gone.

Perhaps the man who is most delighted by the rain is Richard Childress Racing's Jeff Burton. A driver that typically qualifies towards the rear of the field, Burton will start Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 from the third spot.

"Not being a pessimist, but we always qualify the best when it rains out and it is what it is," Burton joked. The driver 152 points behind Jimmie Johnson admitted setting the field according to owner points was probably more of an advantage for him than any other Chase driver.

There are two Cup Series practice sessions scheduled for Saturday (10:30am E.T. and 12 noon), with the E-Z-Go 200 Craftsman Truck Series race scheduled for a 1:30pm E.T. start.