NASCAR lineup at Darlington: Starting order, pole for Real Heroes 400 based on random draw

Tom Gatto

NASCAR lineup at Darlington: Starting order, pole for Real Heroes 400 based on random draw image

If Brad Keselowski can stay out front Sunday afternoon at Darlington Raceway, then he won't have to worry about rusty drivers getting in his way.

Keselowski was concerned earlier this week about having to compete on one of NASCAR's most difficult tracks after two months without real racing. He told NBCSN's Mike Tirico his trust level is "very little to none." He said the recent iRacing events that used racing simulators could compound the problem.

MORE: How NASCAR will set lineups for races at Darlington, Charlotte

"The reality is, it's not the same. The tactics are not the same," he told Tirico. "It looks pretty good, the graphics are pretty cool, but the way the cars drive is not the same. The way the race flows is not the same. Everything about it is much, much different.

"And so the problem with that is, is if you had success with some of the simulators or the internet events, you build almost like a false sense of confidence, and that false sense of confidence when you get on the real racetrack can be a big problem.

"There's a lot drivers that have been putting a lot of time behind the simulator and I'm not sure that's a good thing."

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Darlington?

Brad Keselowski will be on the pole for NASCAR's return from the coronavirus, the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway. He won it Thursday night in a weighted random drawing rather than through qualifying. He was eligible for the pole because his Team Penske squad is in the top 12 in points through the season's first four races.

Alex Bowman will be on the outside of the front row after drawing the No. 2 position. Matt DiBenedetto. Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola round out the top five.

NASCAR is not conducting on-track qualifying for the majority of its upcoming races. There will only be qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway next weekend.

The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington (3:30 p.m., Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will be run without fans. It will be the first event on NASCAR's revised schedule, which now extends through June 21 after a series of reschedulings Thursday.

NASCAR starting lineup at Darlington

Pos. (Car No.) Driver Manufacturer
1 (2) Brad Keselowski Ford
2 (88) Alex Bowman Chevrolet
3 (21) Matt DiBenedetto Ford
4 (18) Kyle Busch Toyota
5 (10) Aric Almirola Ford
6 (4) Kevin Harvick Ford
7 (12) Ryan Blaney Ford
8 (48) Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet
9 (22) Joey Logano Ford
10 (11) Denny Hamlin Toyota
11 (9) Chase Elliott Chevrolet
12 (42) Matt Kenseth Chevrolet
13 (14) Clint Bowyer Ford
14 (41) Cole Custer Ford
15 (19) Martin Truex Jr. Toyota
16 (3) Austin Dillon Chevrolet
17 (43) Bubba Wallace Chevrolet
18 (24) William Byron Chevrolet
19 (32) Corey LaJoie Ford
20 (20) Erik Jones Toyota
21 (6) Ryan Newman Ford
22 (1) Kurt Busch Chevrolet
23 (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Chevrolet
24 (17) Chris Buescher Ford
25 (37) Ryan Preece Chevrolet
26 (53) Garrett Smithley Ford
27 (00) Quin Houff Chevrolet
28 (95) Christopher Bell Toyota
29 (8) Tyler Reddick Chevrolet
30 (27) J.J. Yeley Ford
31 (34) Michael McDowell Ford
32 (51) Joey Gase Ford
33 (13) Ty Dillon Chevrolet
34 (38) John Hunter Nemechek Ford
35 (15) Brennan Poole Chevrolet
36 (77) Reed Sorenson Chevrolet
37 (96) Daniel Suarez Toyota
38 (66) Timmy Hill Toyota
39 (78) BJ McLeod Chevrolet
40 (7) Josh Bilicki Chevrolet

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.