NASCAR lineup at Kansas: Starting order, pole for Thursday's race without qualifying

Tadd Haislop

NASCAR lineup at Kansas: Starting order, pole for Thursday's race without qualifying image

The starting lineup and pole for Thursday night's NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway were set by the procedure that has determined the starting order for almost all Cup Series races in 2020 that have run without prior qualifying sessions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The starting grid for Thursday night's race at Kansas, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET and broadcast live on NBCSN, features Fords in the first four starting positions as a result of the procedure that utilizes a combination of points standings and a random draw to set the lineup.

MORE: Updated 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

As for pit stall selection for the NASCAR Cup Series races being run without qualifying, it is ordered based on finishing positions from the series' previous points race, followed by new entries in order of points. That means Austin Dillon, the surprise winner last weekend at Texas, will have the first stall at Kansas. 

Below is the starting lineup for Thursday night's NASCAR race at Kansas and how it was set.

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Kansas?

The pole position for Thursday night's NASCAR race at Kansas belongs to Kevin Harvick, who was given the No. 1 position Wednesday in a random draw. Harvick is the NASCAR Cup Series points leader in both driver standings and owner standings, and he is tied with Denny Hamlin for the most wins in the series this season with four apiece. 

Another multiple-time winner this season, Joey Logano, will join Harvick on the front row to start Thursday night's race. Their Stewart-Haas Racing and Team Penske teammates Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney will start third and fourth, respectively.

Below is the protocol for how the Cup Series field was set at Kansas:

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 Kansas

The same protocol that set the lineup for Thursday night's Kansas race will be used for all NASCAR Cup Series races for the rest of the 2020 regular season.

"The current format has worked well in addressing several challenges during our return to racing," NASCAR senior vice president of competition Scott Miller said. "Most importantly, we have seen competitive racing week-to-week. NASCAR will adjust the starting lineup draw procedure for the playoff races and will announce the new process at a later date.”

The starting lineup for Thursday night's NASCAR race at Kansas was drawn Wednesday. Below are the results:

Pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
2 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
3 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
4 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
5 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
6 Alex Bowman 88 Hendrick Motorsports
7 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
8 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
9 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
10 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
11 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
12 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
13 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
14 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
15 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
16 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
17 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
18 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
19 Clint Bowyer 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
20 Jimmie Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
21 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
22 Christopher Bell 95 Leavine Family Racing
23 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
24 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
25 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
26 Garrett Smithley 77 Spire Motorsports
27 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
28 JJ Yeley 27 Rick Ware Racing
29 Brennan Poole 15 Premium Motorsports
30 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
31 Corey LaJoie 32 GoFas Racing
32 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
33 Josh Bilicki 53 Rick Ware Racing
34 Joey Gase 51 Petty Ware Racing
35 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
36 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
37 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
38 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
39 Reed Sorenson 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing
40 BJ McLeod 78 BJ McLeod Motorsports

Tadd Haislop

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