NASCAR lineup at Richmond: Starting order, pole for Saturday's playoff race without qualifying

Tom Gatto

NASCAR lineup at Richmond: Starting order, pole for Saturday's playoff race without qualifying image

The starting lineup for Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway was set by the statistical formula NASCAR is using for the majority of Cup races in 2021.

Drivers' starting positions for the Federated Auto Parts 400, the second race of the Cup Series playoffs (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN5, MRN, 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 for just eight of the 36 Cup Series points races in the 2021 season. Seven of those races have already been run; the one remaining race with qualifying is the season-ending Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway in November.

Below is the starting lineup, which was set without qualifying, for Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series playoff race on Richmond Raceway's 0.75-mile, D-shaped oval.

MORE: Watch Saturday's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (free 7-day trial)

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Richmond?

NASCAR assigned Kyle Larson the No. 1 spot in the Richmond lineup based on its formula. Larson leads the playoff point standings and is coming off a runner-up finish last weekend at Darlington.

The winner of that race, Denny Hamiln, will line up next to Larson on the front row. Hamlin locked up a spot in the Round of 12 with his first victory of the season at the Cook Out Southern 500. 

MORE: Busch, Elliott crash out of Darlington race

Under NASCAR's playoff rules, the top 16 spots in Saturday's field went to the 16 playoff drivers, but the starting order was based on the mathematical formula NASCAR has used for the majority of its races this season.

The four drivers who are below the Round of 12 cut line entering Saturday's race will all start toward the back of the playoff pack. Alex Bowman will begin 12th, William Byron will start 14th, Kyle Busch will start 15th and Michael McDowell will start 16th.

MORE: NASCAR playoffs, explained

Defending series champion Chase Elliott will start 13th after a crash forced him out of the Darlington race. Elliott comes into Saturday's race 10th in the playoff standings. 

NASCAR Cup playoff standings

Denny Hamlin became the first driver this year to clinch a second-round when he won at Darlington. Runner-up driver Kyle Larson increased his playoff points lead and four playoff drivers suffered big hits in the standings after crashing out at the track that's "Too Tough to Tame." 

Pos. Driver Points
1 Kyle Larson 2106
2 x-Denny Hamlin 2072
3 Martin Truex Jr. 2062
4 Kurt Busch 2052
5 Ryan Blaney 2048
6 Joey Logano 2047
7 Kevin Harvick 2046
8 Brad Keselowski 2038
9 Christopher Bell 2031
10 Chase Elliott 2030
11 Aric Almirola 2029
12 Tyler Reddick 2026
13 Alex Bowman 2026
14 Kyle Busch 2024
15 William Byron 2017
16 Michael McDowell 2006

x-Clinched berth in Round of 12.

NASCAR starting lineup at Richmond

NASCAR used a mathematical formula to set the starting lineup for Saturday's playoff race at Richmond Raceway, the Federated Auto Parts 400. Thirty-seven cars were entered for the race. Playoff drivers are denoted by "P-" next to their names.

Pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 P-Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
2 P-Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
3 P-Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 P-Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
5 P-Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
6 P-Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
7 P-Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
8 P-Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
9 P-Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
10 P-Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
11 P-Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
12 P-Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
13 P-Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
14 P-William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
15 P-Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
16 P-Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
17 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
18 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
19 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
20 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
21 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
22 Daniel Suarez 99 TrackHouse Racing
23 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
24 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
25 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
26 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
27 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
28 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
29 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports
30 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports
31 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
32 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports
33 Josh Bilicki 52 Rick Ware Racing
34 Joey Gase 15 Rick Ware Racing
35 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
36 Garrett Smithley 51 Petty Ware Racing
37 JJ Yeley 53 Rick Ware Racing

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.