The starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was set by applying the statistical formula NASCAR is using for the majority of the series' races in 2021.
NASCAR returned to the formula after holding qualifying at Road America last weekend.
Drivers' starting positions for the Quaker State 400 (3:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) were based on four factors:
- Driver's finishing position from the previous race (25 percent)
- Car owner's finishing position from the previous race (25 percent)
- Team owner points ranking (35 percent)
- Fastest lap from the previous race (15 percent)
NASCAR is conducting qualifying and practice for just eight Cup Series races in the 2021 season. The remaining sessions will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in August and at Phoenix for the season-ending Championship 4 race in November.
Below is the starting lineup, which was set without qualifying, for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race on Atlanta Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile oval.
MORE: Watch Sunday's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (free 7-day trial)
Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Atlanta?
Chase Elliott will start from the pole at his home track. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is coming off a dominant victory at Road America on Independence Day. The win was his second of the season, both on road courses. The 2020 series champion is searching for his first win at Atlanta; he has one top-five and four top-10 finishes in six career races at the track.
Kyle Busch will be to the outside of Elliott on the front row. Busch came home third at Road America despite starting from the rear. He will be seeking his third win of the season.
Series points leader Denny Hamlin will start third. Hamlin does not have a win yet this season, but he does have 14 top-10 finishes in the first 20 races. His lead is just three points over Kyle Larson, however. Larson will start sixth.
NASCAR starting lineup at Atlanta
NASCAR used a mathematical formula to set the starting lineup for Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart, without qualifying. Thirty-seven drivers were entered for the race.
| Start pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 6 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 7 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 9 | Ross Chastain | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 10 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 11 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 12 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 13 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 14 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
| 15 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 17 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 18 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 19 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 20 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 21 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 22 | Erik Jones | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 23 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 24 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 25 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 26 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 27 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing Team |
| 28 | Justin Haley | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 29 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 30 | Josh Bilicki | 52 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 31 | Cody Ware | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
| 32 | Anthony Alfredo | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 33 | Bayley Currey | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 35 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
| 36 | BJ McLeod | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 37 | Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
