The starting lineup and pole for Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway, the first in a two-day doubleheader at the Tricky Triangly in Long Pond, Pa., were set by the same procedure that determined the starting lineup for the last five Cup Series races, all of which were scheduled to run without prior practice or qualifying sessions.
The starting grid for Saturday's race at Pocono, scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET and broadcast live on Fox, features a pair of Fords at the front of the field as a result of the procedure that utilizes a combination of points standings and a random draw 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 finishing positions from the series’ previous race, followed by new entries in order of points. So Talladega winner Ryan Blaney had the first pit stall selection for Saturday's race at Pocono and chose the No. 2 stall (because No. 1 was not available).
NASCAR Cup Series pit stalls for Pocono race Saturday. Pit stalls for Sunday race chosen in order of Saturday finish. Would expect lineup draw Thursday for first Pocono race. Sunday race lineup is based on Saturday finish with top-20 invert. pic.twitter.com/2YtSbEsEwG
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 24, 2020
Below is the starting lineup for Saturday's NASCAR race at Pocono and how it was set.
Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Pocono?
For the first time this season, Aric Almirola is on the pole to start a race thanks to Thursday's random draw. Almirola reached the top 12 in points standings thanks to his third-place finish at Talladega last week.
Another Ford, that of Ryan Blaney, will line up next to Almirola's No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Mustang on the front row to start Saturday's race. They'll be followed by a pair of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, starting in third and fourth.
Below is the protocol for how the Cup Series field was set at Pocono:
- Positions 1-12: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
- Positions 13-24: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
- Positions 25-36: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
- Positions 37-40: Open teams in order of owners points
NASCAR starting lineup at Pocono
The same protocol that set the lineup for Saturday's Pocono race will be used for all NASCAR Cup Series races currently confirmed on the 2020 schedule except Sunday's Pocono race, the second leg of the doubleheader, for which the field will be set by a top 20 inversion of Saturday's race results.
NASCAR is proceeding without qualifying and practice sessions prior to races in an effort to limit time spent at the track amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for Saturday's race at Pocono, the draw for the starting lineup took place Thursday. Below are the results:
| Pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 8 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
| 9 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 10 | Alex Bowman | 88 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 11 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 12 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 13 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 15 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 16 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 17 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 18 | Clint Bowyer | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 19 | Erik Jones | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 22 | Matt Kenseth | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 24 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 25 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 26 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 27 | Brennan Poole | 15 | Premium Motorsports |
| 28 | Joey Gase | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
| 29 | Corey LaJoie | 32 | Go Fas Racing |
| 30 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 31 | Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 32 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
| 33 | JJ Yeley | 27 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34 | Ty Dillon | 13 | Germain Racing |
| 35 | James Davison | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 36 | Christopher Bell | 95 | Leavin Family Racing |
| 37 | Daniel Suarez | 96 | Gaunt Brothers Racing |
| 38 | Timmy Hill | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
| 39 | BJ McLeod | 78 | BJ McLeod Motorsports |
| 40 | Josh Bilicki | 7 | Tommy Baldwin Racing |