JOLIET, Ill. — report by Managing Editor Jacob Seelman for Race Chaser Online — NASCAR photo — ThorSport Racing is rolling — without ever hitting the race track on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway.

After torrential rain hit the 1.5-mile speedway in Joliet, Illinois following NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NASCAR officials were forced to cancel NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, setting the grid by combined practice speeds and awarding the No. 98 truck, who was fastest overall across the two Thursday practice sessions, the top spot on the grid for tonight’s scheduled Lucas Oil 225 (8:30 PM Eastern on FOX Sports 1).

Brennan Newberry will start second followed by Jeb Burton, Austin Dillon, and most recent race winner Ryan Blaney. Blaney topped the first of the two Thursday practice sessions for the Trucks.

Darrell Wallace, Jr., five-time season winner Kyle Busch, German Quiroga, Matt Crafton and Timothy Peters round out the first five rows of the starting grid. However, Busch — the defending race winner — will drop to the rear of the field for the start because of a driver change. Team driver Erik Jones, an 18-year-old member of the NASCAR Next class, practiced the truck Thursday while Busch was in downtown Chicago for Chase Media Day activities.

Qualifying was scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m. ET, but after the persistent showers rolled in, race officials pulled the plug on the session roughly an hour after the scheduled start time.

Teams pushed the trucks back to the garage area as track-drying efforts continue in hopes of salvaging the rest of the day’s schedule.