The starting lineup and pole for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway were not set by qualifying runs or by the random draws that were held earlier in the 2020 season as NASCAR moved to reduce time spent at the track because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead, the starting grid for Sunday's race at Charlotte, the Bank of America Roval 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC), was the result of a formula that took into account finishing position from the previous race, team owner points standings and the fastest lap from the previous race. This was the eighth time a version of the formula was used to determine the starting lineup for a race without qualifying.
Below is the starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Charlotte and how it was set without qualifying.
MORE: Weather updates for NASCAR race at Charlotte
Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Charlotte?
Playoff standings leader Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole following winning the Yellawood 400 in Talladega last weekend.
Joining Hamlin on the front row will be Chase Elliott, who currently sits in fourth in the playoff standings.
The starting order for the other 13 playoff drivers in the current Round of 16: 3. Brad Keselowski; 4. Kevin Harvick; 5. Alex Bowman; 6. Austin Dillon; 7. Martin Truex Jr.; 8. Joey Logano; 9. Kyle Busch; 10. Kurt Busch; 11. Clint Bowyer; 12. Aric Almirola; 13. William Byron; 20. Matt DiBenedetto; 24. Ryan Blaney; 28. Cole Custer.
Kurt Busch, winner of the South Point 400 in the first playoff race in Las Vegas, has already clinched his spot of the round of eight along with Hamlin.
Below is the formula for how the Cup Series field was set at Charlotte:
- 35 percent: Ranking in team owner points
- 25 percent: Driver's position from previous race
- 25 percent: Team owner's position from previous race
- 15 percent: Fastest lap from previous race
NASCAR starting lineup at Charlotte
The starting lineup for Sunday's race at Charlotte was determined by NASCAR's new formula for setting lineups in races without qualifying. The same procedure will be used through the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
The formula produced this starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Talladega:
| Starting spot | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 2 | Chase Elliott (P) | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski (P) | 2 | Team Penske |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick (P) | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 5 | Alex Bowman (P) | 88 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 6 | Austin Dillon (P) | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 7 | Martin Truex Jr. (P) | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 8 | Joey Logano (P) | 22 | Team Penske |
| 9 | Kyle Busch (P) | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 10 | Kurt Busch (P) | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 11 | Clint Bowyer (P) | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 12 | Aric Almirola (P) | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 13 | William Byron (P) | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 14 | Erik Jones | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 15 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 16 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 17 | Ty Dillon | 13 | Germain Racing |
| 18 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daughtery Racing |
| 19 | John Hunter Nemechek | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 20 | Matt DiBenedetto (P) | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 21 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 22 | Brennan Poole | 15 | Premium Motorsports |
| 23 | Matt Kenseth | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 24 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 25 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
| 26 | Bubba Wallace | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 27 | Timmy Hill | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
| 28 | Cole Custer (P) | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 29 | Joey Gase | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
| 30 | Jimmy Johnson | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 31 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | 32 | Go Fas Racing |
| 33 | JJ Yeley | 27 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34 | Daniel Suarez | 96 | Gaunt Brothers Racing |
| 35 | Christopher Bell | 95 | Leavine Family Racing |
| 36 | Gray Gaulding | 127 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 37 | James Davison | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 38 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daughtery Racing |
