Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Kyle Larson has secured the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s South Point 400 (7 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Las Vegas weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

Larson — winner of the most recent NASCAR Cup Series event, at Bristol Motor Speedway — will start his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the first spot for the fourth time in the last six races. The 400-miler is the opening race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.

Austin Cindric claimed the pole for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 302 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the opening race in that circuit’s postseason. John Hunter Nemechek earned the No. 1 starting spot for Friday’s Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts (9 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Round of 8 opener.

Larson, Cindric and Nemechek are all the current points leaders in their respective series.

As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.

NASCAR’s metrics formula for 2021 weighs:

  • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race

  • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race

  • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking

  • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

See the full lineup for Saturday night’s Cup Series race below.

Start pos.

Driver

Car #

Team

1

Kyle Larson

5

Hendrick Motorsports

2

Ryan Blaney

12

Team Penske

3

William Byron

24

Hendrick Motorsports

4

Martin Truex Jr.

19

Joe Gibbs Racing

5

Kevin Harvick

4

Stewart-Haas Racing

6

Denny Hamlin

11

Joe Gibbs Racing

7

Alex Bowman

48

Hendrick Motorsports

8

Brad Keselowski

2

Team Penske

9

Joey Logano

22

Team Penske

10

Kyle Busch

18

Joe Gibbs Racing

11

Chase Elliott

9

Hendrick Motorsports

12

Christopher Bell

20

Joe Gibbs Racing

13

Tyler Reddick

8

Richard Childress Racing

14

Matt DiBenedetto

21

Wood Brothers Racing

15

Austin Dillon

3

Richard Childress Racing

16

Erik Jones

43

Richard Petty Motorsports

17

Aric Almirola

10

Stewart-Haas Racing

18

Ross Chastain

42

Chip Ganassi Racing

19

Chase Briscoe

14

Stewart-Haas Racing

20

Kurt Busch

1

Chip Ganassi Racing

21

Bubba Wallace

23

23XI Racing

22

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

47

JTG Daugherty Racing

23

Michael McDowell

34

Front Row Motorsports

24

Ryan Preece

37

JTG Daugherty Racing

25

Chris Buescher

17

Roush Fenway Racing

26

Daniel Suarez

99

Trackhouse Racing

27

Corey LaJoie

7

Spire Motorsports

28

Cole Custer

41

Stewart-Haas Racing

29

Ryan Newman

6

Roush Fenway Racing

30

Garrett Smithley

53

Rick Ware Racing

31

Josh Bilicki

52

Rick Ware Racing

32

Anthony Alfredo

38

Front Row Motorsports

33

Justin Haley

77

Spire Motorsports

34

BJ McLeod

78

Live Fast Motorsports

35

Cody Ware

51

Petty Ware Racing

36

Quin Houff

00

StarCom Racing

37

Joey Gase

15

Rick Ware Racing

38

JJ Yeley

66

Motorsports Business Management

Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Just one race remains with Busch Pole Qualifying on the schedule — the season-ending championship race Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway.

Source