NASCAR conducted qualifying for just the fourth time this season Saturday when drivers took one lap each around the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway track to set the starting lineup for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET; Fox, TSN, PRN).
On-track qualifying is a rarity this season as NASCAR tries to limit the amount of time teams spend at the track amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Only eight races total are scheduled to have practice and qualifying in 2021; Charlotte was No. 4, joining Daytona (for the Daytona 500), Bristol's dirt track and Circuit of the Americas.
The remaining sessions will be for new tracks on the schedule (Nashville, Road America and Indianapolis' road course) and the season-ending Championship 4 race at Phoenix.
Below is the starting lineup, which was set with qualifying, for Sunday's NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
MORE: Watch Sunday's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (free 7-day trial)
Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Charlotte?
Kyle Larson turned the fastest lap in qualifying, edging out Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott. Larson knocked Elliott off the top spot with his run.
The perfect lap.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 29, 2021
RETWEET to congratulate @KyleLarsonRacin on his #BuschPole win! pic.twitter.com/UAB3GffG9D
He completed his lap in 29.953 seconds for a speed of 180.282 mph. He wasn't convinced his car was that fast as he was wheeling it around the track, however.
"Felt really balanced, so a lot of times, if that's the case, you think it might be slow," he told FS1's Vince Welch.
Austin Dillon, who led Friday's practice, qualified sixth.
NASCAR starting lineup at Charlotte
| Driver | Car No. | Team |
| Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| Ross Chastain | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
| Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| Erik Jones | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| Anthony Alfredo | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| Justin Haley | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
| BJ McLeod | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| Cody Ware | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
| James Davison | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| Garrett Smithley | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
| Josh Bilicki | 52 | Rick Ware Racing |
| David Starr | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
