NASCAR lineup at Bristol: Complete starting order, pole for Sunday's race without qualifying

Tadd Haislop

NASCAR lineup at Bristol: Complete starting order, pole for Sunday's race without qualifying image

The starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol on Sunday was set by the same procedure that will determine the starting lineup for the next five Cup Series races, all of which will be run without prior practice or qualifying sessions.

The starting grid for Sunday's race at Bristol, scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET and broadcast live on Fox, features a handful of Fords at the front of the field as a result of the procedure that utilizes a combination of points standings and a random draw to set the lineup.

MORE: Updated NASCAR Cup Series schedule for 2020

As for pit stall selection for the next five Cup Series races being run without qualifying, it will be ordered based on finishing positions from the series’ previous race, followed by new entries in order of points.

Below is the starting lineup for Sunday's Bristol race and how it was set.

Who is on the pole for the NASCAR race at Bristol?

For the second time since the NASCAR Cup Series returned from its coronavirus-promoted hiatus, Brad Keselowski won a random draw to earn the pole position to start a race.

No matter which lane Keselowski chooses to start Sunday's race, he will have a Team Penske teammate behind him, as Joey Logano will start third alongside Ryan Blaney in fourth based on the results of the draw. Aric Almirola will roll off second.

Below is the protocol for how the Cup Series field was set at Bristol.

  • Positions 1-12: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 13-24: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-40: Open teams in order of owners points

NASCAR starting lineup at Bristol

The same protocol that set the lineup for Sunday's Bristol race will be used to set the lineup for the upcoming Cup Series races at Atlanta (June 7), Martinsville (June 10), Homestead-Miami (June 14) and Talladega (June 21). All of those races also will run without prior practice sessions with the exception of Talladega, which will have an hour-long practice session the day before the race.

As for Sunday's race at Bristol, the draw for the starting lineup took place Friday. Below are the results.

Pos. Driver
1 Brad Keselowski
2 Aric Almirola
3 Joey Logano
4 Ryan Blaney
5 Martin Truex Jr.
6 Chase Elliott
7 Kyle Busch
8 Kevin Harvick
9 Matt DiBenedetto
10 Denny Hamlin
11 Alex Bowman
12 Kurt Busch
13 William Byron
14 Matt Kenseth
15 Erik Jones
16 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17 Ryan Newman
18 John Hunter Nemechek
19 Chris Buescher
20 Austin Dillon
21 Tyler Reddick
22 Cole Custer
23 Clint Bowyer
24 Jimmie Johnson
25 Michael McDowell
26 Bayley Currey
27 Joey Gase
28 Quin Houff
29 Ty Dillon
30 Gray Gaulding
31 Garrett Smithley
32 Corey LaJoie
33 Ryan Preece
34 Brennan Poole
35 Christopher Bell
36 Bubba Wallace
37 Daniel Suarez
38 Timmy Hill
39 BJ McLeod
40 JJ Yeley

Tadd Haislop

Tadd Haislop is the Associate NFL Editor at SportingNews.com.