NASCAR lineup at Michigan: Starting order, pole for Saturday's race without qualifying

Tadd Haislop

NASCAR lineup at Michigan: Starting order, pole for Saturday's race without qualifying image

The starting lineup and pole for Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, the first of a doubleheader this weekend, 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 Saturday's race at Michigan, scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET and broadcast live on NBCSN, features four Fords in the top five 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 Brad Keselowski, the winner of last week's race at New Hampshire, will have the first stall at Michigan.

Below is the starting lineup for Saturday's NASCAR race at Michigan and how it was set.

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Michigan?

The driver who won the first of two races at Michigan last year, Joey Logano, will start on the pole for the first race at Michigan this year. He'll be joined on the front row by Denny Hamlin.

Logano, though, likely will get more help at the start of the race since three Fords are next in the starting order, with Kevin Harvick lining up third, Aric Almirola starting fourth and Brad Keselowski rolling off fifth.

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

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 Michigan

Saturday's Michigan race is the last that will use the old protocol for setting lineups without qualifying sessions this season, as NASCAR is moving to a new formula beginning with the Daytona road course race Aug. 16. The exceptions will be the second legs of doubleheaders like Sunday's race at Michigan, for which the field will be set by the results of the first leg with the top 20 finishers inverted.

The new procedure will replace the random-draw element with a performance-based formula with three metrics — finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50 percent), ranking in team owner points standings (35 percent) and fastest lap from the previous race (15 percent).

As for the starting lineup for Saturday's NASCAR race at Michigan, the draw for positions took place Thursday. Below are the results:

Pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
2 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
3 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
4 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
6 Alex Bowman 88 Hendrick Motorsports
7 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
8 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
9 Clint Bowyer 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
10 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
11 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
12 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
13 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
14 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
15 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
16 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
17 Jimmie Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
18 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
19 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
20 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
21 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
22 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
23 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
24 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
25 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
26 JJ Yeley 27 Rick Ware Racing
27 Brennan Poole 15 Premium Motorsports
28 James Davison 51 Petty Ware Raicng
29 Christopher Bell 95 Leavine Family Racing
30 Reed Sorenson 74 Spire Motorsports
31 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
32 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
33 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
34 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
35 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
36 Corey LaJoie 32 Go Fas Racing
37 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
38 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
39 Joey Gase 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing

Tadd Haislop

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