NASCAR at Daytona lineup: Starting order, pole for Saturday's race without qualifying

The starting lineup for Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway was set by applying the statistical formula NASCAR is using for the majority of Cup races in 2021.

Drivers' starting positions for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. ET; NBC, TSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the final race of the 2021 regular season, were based on four factors:

• Driver's finishing position from the previous race (25 percent)
• Car owner's finishing position from the previous race (25 percent)
• Team owner points ranking (35 percent)
• Fastest lap from the previous race (15 percent)

NASCAR is conducting qualifying for eight Cup Series races in the 2021 season. Seven of those races have already been run; the one remaining race is the season-ending Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway in November.

Below is the starting lineup, which was set without qualifying, for Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race on Daytona's 2.5-mile oval.

MORE: Watch Saturday's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (free 7-day trial)

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Daytona?

Kyle Larson was assigned the top spot based on NASCAR's formula for the second race in a row. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is in a good position to clinch the regular-season points championship; he is 28 points ahead of second-place driver Denny Hamlin after his third-place finish last weekend at Michigan. The regular-season champion earns 15 bonus points that are added to his beginning playoff points total.

Larson's teammate William Byron will occupy the other spot in the front row. Byron is coming off a second-place finish at Michigan, where he lost to Ryan Blaney by 0.077 seconds after Blaney threw a block before the start-finish line.

The race will also feature a battle for the lone remaining open spot in the 16-driver Cup Series playoff field. Of the bubble drivers who can get in on points, Tyler Reddick will start 17th while his Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon will start 27th. Of the drivers who need a win to get in, Matt DiBenedetto (Wood Brothers Racing) will start the closest to the front in ninth.

NASCAR starting lineup at Daytona

NASCAR used a mathematical formula to set the starting lineup for Saturday's race at Daytona International Speedway, the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Forty cars were entered, which means there will be a full 40-car field for the race.