NASCAR lineup at Martinsville: Starting order, pole for Wednesday night's race without qualifying

Tadd Haislop

NASCAR lineup at Martinsville: Starting order, pole for Wednesday night's race without qualifying image

The starting lineup and pole for Wednesday night's NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway was set by the same procedure that determined the starting lineup for the last two Cup Series races and will set the field for the next two, all of which were scheduled to run without prior practice or qualifying sessions.

The starting grid for Wednesday's race at Martinsville, scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET and broadcast live on FS1, features five Fords in the first six starting spots 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 race, followed by new entries in order of points. So Atlanta winner Kevin Harvick had the first pit stall selection for Wednesday night's race, an important advantage at Martinsville.

Below is the starting lineup for Wednesday night's race at Martinsville and how it was set.

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Martinsville?

Another random draw for the lineup of a Cup race, another pole for a Team Penske driver. This time it was Ryan Blaney who earned the No. 1 starting spot based on a draw that took place Monday.

Blaney likely will choose the bottom lane to start Wednesday night's race, because his Penske teammate Joey Logano will start third, on the inside of Row 2.

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

  • 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 Martinsville

The same protocol that set the lineup for Wednesday night's Martinsville race will be used to set the lineup for the upcoming Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami (June 14) and Talladega (June 21). 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 Wednesday night's race at Martinsville, the draw for the starting lineup took place Monday. Below are the results:

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

Tadd Haislop

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