NASCAR lineup at Talladega: Starting order, pole for Monday's postponed race without qualifying

Tadd Haislop

NASCAR lineup at Talladega: Starting order, pole for Monday's postponed race without qualifying image

(UPDATE: Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega was postponed to Monday due to severe weather. The race will start at 3 p.m. ET on Fox.)

The starting lineup and pole for Monday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway were set by the same procedure that determined the starting lineup for the last four Cup Series races, all of which were scheduled to run without prior practice or qualifying sessions.

The starting grid for Monday's race at Talladega, scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET and broadcast live on Fox, features three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in the first four starting spots as a result of the procedure that utilizes a combination of points standings and a random draw to set the lineup.

MORE: Updated 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

As for pit stall selection for the NASCAR Cup Series races being run without qualifying, it is ordered based on finishing positions from the series’ previous race, followed by new entries in order of points. So Homestead winner Denny Hamlin had the first pit stall selection for Monday's race at Talladega and chose the No. 1 stall.

Below is the starting lineup for Monday's NASCAR race at Talladega and how it was set.

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Talladega?

For the second consecutive week, a JGR driver is on the pole thanks to a random draw for starting positions. Martin Truex Jr. will roll off first at Talladega, and he will be surrounded by his own teammates.

Denny Hamlin, who drew the pole for last week's race at Homestead on his way to a victory, will join Truex on the front row to start the Talladega race. Behind them will be teammate Kyle Busch, who drew the No. 3 position, and Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson.

Below is the protocol for how the Cup Series field was set at Talladega:

  • Positions 1-12: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 13-24: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-40: Open teams in order of owners points

NASCAR starting lineup at Talladega

The same protocol that set the lineup for Monday's Talladega race will be used for all NASCAR Cup Series races currently confirmed on the 2020 schedule. NASCAR is proceeding without qualifying and practice sessions prior to races in an effort to limit time spent at the track amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only exception will be next week's Sunday race at Pocono, which is the second leg of a doubleheader. An front-half inversion of the results from the Saturday race will determine the starting lineup for Sunday's race.

As for Monday's race at Talladega, the draw for the starting lineup took place Thursday. Below are the results:

Pos.DriverCar No.Team
1Martin Truex Jr.19Joe Gibbs Racing
2Denny Hamlin11Joe Gibbs Racing
3Kyle Busch18Joe Gibbs Racing
4Jimmie Johnson48Hendrick Motorsports
5Kevin Harvick4Stewart-Haas Racing
6Brad Keselowski2Team Penske
7Kurt Busch1Chip Ganassi Racing
8Alex Bowman88Hendrick Motorsports
9Joey Logano22Team Penske
10Clint Bowyer14Stewart-Haas Racing
11Chase Elliott9Hendrick Motorsports
12Ryan Blaney12Team Penske
13Matt Kenseth42Chip Ganassi Racing
14Ryan Newman6Roush Fenway Racing
15Aric Almirola10Stewart-Haas Racing
16Tyler Reddick8Richard Childress Racing
17Austin Dillon3Richard Childress Racing
18Erik Jones20Joe Gibbs Racing
19William Byron24Hendrick Motorsports
20Ricky Stenhouse Jr.47JTG Daugherty Racing
21Chris Buescher17Roush Fenway Racing
22John Hunter Nemechek38Front Row Motorsports
23Matt DiBenedetto21Wood Brothers Racing
24Bubba Wallace43Richard Petty Motorsports
25Corey LaJoie32Go Fas Racing
26Michael McDowell34Front Row Motorsports
27Brennan Poole15Premium Motorsports
28Cole Custer41Stewart-Haas Racing
29Gray Gaulding27Rick Ware Racing
30BJ McLeod77Spire Motorsports
31Ryan Preece37JTG Daugherty Racing
32Quin Houff00StarCom Racing
33Ty Dillon13Germain Racing
34JJ Yeley53Rick Ware Racing
35Christopher Bell95Leavine Family Racing
36Joey Gase51Petty Ware Racing
37Daniel Suarez96Gaunt Brothers Racing
38Timmy Hill66Motorsports Business Management
39Brendan Gaughan62Beard Motorsports
40Garrett Smithley78B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Tadd Haislop

Tadd Haislop is the Associate NFL Editor at SportingNews.com.