So in the absence of qualifying, NASCAR determines the starting lineup with a formula based on these factors:

Because of the challenges related to racing during the COVID-19 pandemic, most race weekends will not include practice or qualifying sessions. There are only five regular-season races remaining, leading into the 16-driver, 10-race playoffs this fall, so every position counts as drivers and their teams race to be title contenders.ĭenny Hamlin leads the regular-season standings, followed by Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, William Byron and defending champ Chase Elliott to round out the top-5 drivers.īut Kyle Busch didn’t win the pole for Sunday’s race (3 p.m. While Kurt Busch won last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his younger brother, Kyle Busch, will start Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on the pole.