NASCAR lineup at Daytona: Starting order, pole for road course race without qualifying

The starting lineup and pole for Sunday's NASCAR race at the Daytona International Speedway road course, the first ever at the track's road course for the Cup Series, were not set by the random-draw procedure that determined the starting order for previous races in 2020 that ran without qualifying sessions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The starting grid for Sunday's race at Daytona, scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET and broadcast live on NBC, features some of this season's top drivers at the front of the field. It is the result of a new formula that takes into account finishing position from the previous race, team owner points standings and the fastest lap from the previous race 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 the same formula. Which means the pole sitter for Sunday's race (more on him below) also had the first pit stall selection.

Below is the starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at the Daytona road course and how it was set.

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Daytona?

As if Kevin Harvick needed any more help this season as the points leader and the winner of a series-high six races, he'll start the Cup Series' first ever Daytona road course race on the pole. Which may or may not be an actual advantage on Lap 1.

"I think me leading everybody into Turn 1 at Daytona could be interesting, because I have no freaking clue where I'm going as we go down there," Harvick said last week after his win at Michigan. "Most everybody in the field is the same way. We'll prepare the best that we can and hope that we can make it around the first lap with all the wheels still headed in the right direction."

Havick will lead three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates — Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch in second, third and fourth, respectively — to the green flag Sunday.

Below is the formula for how the Cup Series field was set at Daytona:

• 50 percent: Finishing position from previous race
• 35 percent: Ranking in team owner points
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from previous race

NASCAR starting lineup at Daytona road course

Sunday's race at the Daytona road course is the first to use NASCAR's new formula for setting the starting lineup. The same procedure will be used through the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, with the one exception being the second leg of next week's Saturday-Sunday doubleheader at Dover. (The field will be set by the results of the first leg with the top 20 finishers inverted.)

As for the starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Daytona, below is the field the formula created:

* Grala replaced Austin Dillon, who self-reported a positive COVID-19 test.