Kyle Larson on Busch Pole for Michigan; see lineup
Staff Report
NASCAR Digital Media | Getty Images
Kyle Larson has won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Michigan International Speedway.
Larson, the series points leader, will start his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the top spot for the fifth time this season. He is a five-time winner this year and a three-time winner at the 2-mile Michigan track in his Cup Series career.
Defending Xfinity Series champion Austin Cindric claimed the pole for Saturday's New Holland 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford at Michigan. Cindric is the series' most recent winner, claiming his fifth victory of the season last Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course.
Austin Hill is on the pole for Friday's Toyota 200 presented by CK Power (9 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota. That race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway will open the seven-race playoffs for the Camping World Truck Series.
RELATED: Michigan, Gateway weekend schedule | 2021 Cup Series standings
As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.
NASCAR's metrics formula for 2021 weighs:
25 percent: Driver's finishing position from the previous race
25 percent: Car owner's finishing position from the previous race
35 percent: Team owner points ranking
15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race
See the full lineup for Sunday's Cup Series race below.
Start pos.
Driver
Car #
Team
1
Kyle Larson
5
Hendrick Motorsports
2
Chase Elliott
9
Hendrick Motorsports
3
Ryan Blaney
12
Team Penske
4
Matt DiBenedetto
21
Wood Brothers Racing
5
Martin Truex Jr.
19
Joe Gibbs Racing
6
Kurt Busch
1
Chip Ganassi Racing
7
Kyle Busch
18
Joe Gibbs Racing
8
Kevin Harvick
4
Stewart-Haas Racing
9
Denny Hamlin
11
Joe Gibbs Racing
10
Alex Bowman
48
Hendrick Motorsports
11
Chris Buescher
17
Roush Fenway Racing
12
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
47
JTG Daugherty Racing
13
Erik Jones
43
Richard Petty Motorsports
14
Tyler Reddick
8
Richard Childress Racing
15
Bubba Wallace
23
23XI Racing
16
Ryan Newman
6
Roush Fenway Racing
17
Justin Haley
77
Spire Motorsports
18
William Byron
24
Hendrick Motorsports
19
Joey Logano
22
Team Penske
20
Brad Keselowski
2
Team Penske
21
Chase Briscoe
14
Stewart-Haas Racing
22
Ross Chastain
42
Chip Ganassi Racing
23
Aric Almirola
10
Stewart-Haas Racing
24
Corey LaJoie
7
Spire Motorsports
25
Michael McDowell
34
Front Row Motorsports
26
Austin Dillon
3
Richard Childress Racing
27
Cole Custer
41
Stewart-Haas Racing
28
Christopher Bell
20
Joe Gibbs Racing
29
Josh Bilicki
52
Rick Ware Racing
30
Daniel Suarez
99
Trackhouse Racing
31
Quin Houff
00
StarCom Racing
32
Ryan Preece
37
JTG Daugherty Racing
33
Garrett Smithley
53
Rick Ware Racing
34
James Davison
15
Rick Ware Racing
35
Anthony Alfredo
38
Front Row Motorsports
36
BJ McLeod
78
Live Fast Motorsports
37
Cody Ware
51
Petty Ware Racing
Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Just one race remains with Busch Pole Qualifying on the schedule -- the season-ending championship race Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway.