Martin Truex Jr. has won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Richmond Raceway.
Truex, the series’ only two-time winner this year, will start his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota from the pole position. He has finished among the top three in the last four Richmond races, a span that includes a season sweep of both events there in 2019.
Ben Rhodes won the pole for Saturday’s ToyotaCare 250 (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the Camping World Truck Series. He’s set to start first in the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota.
RELATED: Richmond weekend schedule | 2021 Cup Series standings
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 Sunday’s Cup Series race below.
|
Start pos. |
Driver |
Car # |
Team |
|
1 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
19 |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
2 |
Denny Hamlin |
11 |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
3 |
Chase Elliott |
9 |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
4 |
William Byron |
24 |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
5 |
Joey Logano |
22 |
Team Penske |
|
6 |
Kyle Larson |
5 |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
7 |
Ryan Blaney |
12 |
Team Penske |
|
8 |
Christopher Bell |
20 |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
9 |
Kevin Harvick |
4 |
Stewart-Haas Racing |
|
10 |
Kyle Busch |
18 |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
11 |
Austin Dillon |
3 |
Richard Childress Racing |
|
12 |
Chris Buescher |
17 |
Roush Fenway Racing |
|
13 |
Tyler Reddick |
8 |
Richard Childress Racing |
|
14 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
47 |
JTG Daugherty Racing |
|
15 |
Bubba Wallace |
23 |
23XI Racing |
|
16 |
Matt DiBenedetto |
21 |
Wood Brothers Racing |
|
17 |
Kurt Busch |
1 |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
|
18 |
Ross Chastain |
42 |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
|
19 |
Ryan Newman |
6 |
Roush Fenway Racing |
|
20 |
Brad Keselowski |
2 |
Team Penske |
|
21 |
Cole Custer |
41 |
Stewart-Haas Racing |
|
22 |
Aric Almirola |
10 |
Stewart-Haas Racing |
|
23 |
Michael McDowell |
34 |
Front Row Motorsports |
|
24 |
Alex Bowman |
48 |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
25 |
Ryan Preece |
37 |
JTG Daugherty Racing |
|
26 |
Chase Briscoe |
14 |
Stewart-Haas Racing |
|
27 |
Daniel Suarez |
99 |
Trackhouse Racing Team |
|
28 |
James Davison |
15 |
Rick Ware Racing |
|
29 |
Anthony Alfredo |
38 |
Front Row Motorsports |
|
30 |
Erik Jones |
43 |
Richard Petty Motorsports |
|
31 |
Josh Bilicki |
52 |
Rick Ware Racing |
|
32 |
Quin Houff |
00 |
StarCom Racing |
|
33 |
Cody Ware |
51 |
Petty Ware Racing |
|
34 |
Justin Haley |
77 |
Spire Motorsports |
|
35 |
BJ McLeod |
78 |
Live Fast Motorsports |
|
36 |
Corey LaJoie |
7 |
Spire Motorsports |
|
37 |
Garrett Smithley |
53 |
Rick Ware Racing |
|
38 |
Austin Cindric |
33 |
Team Penske |
Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Busch Pole Qualifying was held for the season-opening Daytona 500 but rain canceled the qualifying races for Bristol Motor Speedway‘s dirt-track race. The next Cup Series event with qualifying scheduled is the May 23 debut at the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas.