Denny Hamlin earned the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), an elimination race in the Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.
RELATED: Charlotte Roval weekend schedule | Cup Series standings
Hamlin, locked into the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after his victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will start on pole for the fifth time in 2021 in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Austin Cindric will start on pole in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at the Charlotte Roval (3 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), an elimination race in the Xfinity Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.
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 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 7 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 8 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 10 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 11 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 12 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 13 | Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 14 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 15 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 16 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 17 | Erik Jones | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 18 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 19 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 20 | Anthony Alfredo | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 21 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 22 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 23 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 24 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 25 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 26 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 27 | Ross Chastain | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 28 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
| 29 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 30 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 31 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 32 | Cody Ware | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
| 33 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 34 | Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 35 | Scott Heckert | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 36 | Joey Hand | 52 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 37 | Josh Bilicki | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 38 | Justin Haley | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 39 | Timmy Hill | 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.