Kyle Larson has secured the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s South Point 400 (7 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
RELATED: Las Vegas weekend schedule | Cup Series standings
Larson — winner of the most recent NASCAR Cup Series event, at Bristol Motor Speedway — will start his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the first spot for the fourth time in the last six races. The 400-miler is the opening race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.
Austin Cindric claimed the pole for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 302 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the opening race in that circuit’s postseason. John Hunter Nemechek earned the No. 1 starting spot for Friday’s Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts (9 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Round of 8 opener.
Larson, Cindric and Nemechek are all the current points leaders in their respective series.
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 Saturday night’s Cup Series race below.
Start pos. |
Driver | Car # | Team |
1 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
2 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
3 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
5 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
6 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
7 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
8 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
9 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
10 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
11 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
12 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
13 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
14 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
15 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
16 | Erik Jones | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
17 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
18 | Ross Chastain | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
19 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
20 | Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
21 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
22 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
23 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
24 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
25 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
26 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
27 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
28 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
29 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
30 | Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
31 | Josh Bilicki | 52 | Rick Ware Racing |
32 | Anthony Alfredo | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
33 | Justin Haley | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
34 | BJ McLeod | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
35 | Cody Ware | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
36 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
37 | Joey Gase | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
38 | JJ Yeley | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
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.