DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Rain and lightning proved to be a good omen for Alex Bowman, the driver on the bubble for the final NASCAR Cup Series playoff berth.

With the qualifying session for Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 canceled because of inclement weather, Bowman will start on the outside of the front row next to Ryan Blaney in the race that will determine the final two positions in the postseason.

When time trials are canceled, grid positions are determined by NASCAR's metric formula, comprised of owner points position, finishing position from the previous race and fastest lap rank from the previous race.

Bowman is 60 points above the current elimination line entering the last regular-season race. If one of the 15 drivers above him in the playoff standings happens to win on Satu

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