The NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup for Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville has been determined by a formula that combines owner and driver points for the season and performance in the previous race (in this case at Texas on Wednesday).
There are no qualifiers during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing NASCAR to get creative in figuring out where each driver starts, This was the ninth time a version of the formula was used to determine the starting lineup for a race.
The Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBCS) is the final race of the Round of 8 and will set the Championship 4 field for Phoenix.
MORE: Updated 2020 NASCAR Cup Series standings
The current formula was also used to determine pit stall selections, which means the pole sitter for Sunday's race made the first pit stall selection.
Below is the starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Martinsville and how it was set without qualifying.
Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Martinsville?
Brad Keselowski holds the pole position for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville. He's the first driver above the elimination cut-line, so his early advantage could provide an important boost in his quest to hold off the likes of Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch.
Next to the No. 2 car on the front row will be Truex Jr., who enters desperate for a season-saving victory. The remaining playoff drivers will line up in this order: 3. Alex Bowman; 4. Denny Hamlin; 5. Kurt Busch; 6. Kevin Harvick; 7. Joey Logano; 8. Chase Elliott.
Below is the formula for how the Cup Series field was set at Martinsville:
- 35 percent: Owner's points position after previous race
- 25 percent: Driver's final race position in previous race
- 25 percent: Owner's finish position in previous race
- 15 percent: Driver's fastest lap time in previous race
NASCAR starting lineup at Martinsville
The starting lineup for Sunday's race at Martinsville 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 Martinsville:
Pos. | Driver | Car | Team |
1 | Brad Keselowski (P) | 2 | Team Penske |
2 | Martin Truex Jr. (P) | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
3 | Alex Bowman (P) | 88 | Hendrick Motorsports |
4 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
5 | Kurt Busch (P) | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
6 | Kevin Harvick (P) | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
7 | Joey Logano (P) | 22 | Team Penske |
8 | Chase Elliott (P) | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
9 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
10 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
11 | Christopher Bell | 95 | Leavine Family Racing |
12 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
13 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
14 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
15 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
16 | Clint Bowyer | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
17 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
18 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
19 | Erik Jones | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
20 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
21 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
22 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
23 | John Hunter Nemechek | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
24 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
25 | Ty Dillon | 13 | Germain Racing |
26 | Corey LaJoie | 32 | GoFas Racing |
27 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
28 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
29 | Daniel Suarez | 96 | Gaunt Brothers Racing |
30 | Brennan Poole | 15 | Premium Motorsports |
31 | Matt Kenseth | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
32 | Bubba Wallace | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
33 | Josh Bilicki | 7 | Tommy Baldwin Racing |
34 | Timmy Hill | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
35 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
36 | Garrett Smithley | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
37 | James Davison | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
38 | JJ Yeley | 27 | Rick Ware Racing |
39 | Joey Gase | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
(P) Playoff driver.