DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Scott Halleran/Getty Images photo —

Mother Nature intervened on Saturday evening at Daytona International Speedway, forcing the cancellation of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola.

The cancellation marks the fourth time in the past nine years (2007, 2009, 2010 and 2015) that qualifying for the July race has been called off due to adverse weather.

Just after NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying had concluded at 4 p.m. local time, a severe weather cell moved in just outside of the race track, carrying with it heavy cloud-to-ground lightning that forced NASCAR to evacuate the grandstands as a safety precaution. While rain never officially dampened the asphalt, the delay and threatening conditions were enough that officials abandoned the two-round session at 5:51 p.m. ET so as not to interfere with tonight’s 250-mile XFINITY race.

Due to the cancellation, the field is set by the rulebook for Sunday’s Independence Day weekend classic:

• The top 36 cars in Cup series owner points are locked into the field.
• Positions 37-43 are set by race attempts (most to fewest).
• Drivers with the fewest race attempts will miss the field.

The 43-car field will then be gridded by the speeds from Friday’s first practice session.

As such, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who set the quickest lap in opening practice at 202.284 mph, will lead the field to green for 400 miles on Sunday night (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). It will be the first time that the younger Earnhardt has started first since he won the pole at Dover in September of 2013.

Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing will join Earnhardt on the front row — his first top-two start at DIS since winning the pole for the Daytona 500 in 2014.

Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Trevor Bayne rounded out the fast five in practice and will start third through fifth on Sunday.

Several powerhouse names avoided the draft in practice after seeing the “Big One” unfold early on Friday — leaving them mired deep in the field for the Coke Zero 400.

Former Sprint Cup champions Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski will start 31st and 32nd, respectively, while Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano will roll just behind them in 33rd. Defending series champion Kevin Harvick starts alongside Logano in 34th, and defending race winner Aric Almirola grids up 36th.

Because they have the fewest race attempts of the 45 cars on hand at DIS, Michael McDowell (nine attempts) and Ryan Blaney (six attempts) failed to make the 43-car field. For Blaney and the Wood Brothers, the DNQ is the team’s first due to weather since 2008.

The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola takes the green flag Sunday night at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and the telecast marks NBC’s return to broadcasting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing after their first stint in the sport from 2001-2006.

STARTING GRID: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola; Daytona International Speedway; July 4, 2015

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Austin Dillon
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Paul Menard
5. Trevor Bayne
6. David Gilliland
7. A.J. Allmendinger
8. David Ragan
9. Jamie McMurray
10. Kasey Kahne
11. Sam Hornish Jr.
12. Jimmie Johnson
13. Kyle Busch
14. Brett Moffitt
15. Casey Mears
16. Kyle Larson
17. Ryan Newman
18. Michael Annett
19. Matt Kenseth
20. Martin Truex Jr.
21. Justin Allgaier
22. Landon Cassill
23. Jeff Gordon
24. Carl Edwards
25. Greg Biffle
26. Brian Scott
27. Danica Patrick
28. Kurt Busch
29. Cole Whitt
30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
31. Tony Stewart
32. Brad Keselowski
33. Joey Logano
34. Kevin Harvick
35. Denny Hamlin
36. Aric Almirola
37. Alex Bowman
38. Bobby Labonte
39. J.J. Yeley
40. Jeb Burton
41. Matt DiBenedetto
42. Josh Wise
43. Brendan Gaughan

DNQ:  Michael McDowell, Ryan Blaney