NASCAR lineup at Atlanta: Starting order, pole for Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 without qualifying

Tom Gatto

NASCAR lineup at Atlanta: Starting order, pole for Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 without qualifying image

For the first time this season, NASCAR used a mathematical formula to set the starting lineup for a race. It went that route after inclement weather forced Friday's practice sessions at Atlanta Motor Speedway to be postponed.

NASCAR moved practice to Saturday and canceled qualifying for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (3:17 p.m. ET green flag Sunday). It said that it set the lineup according to its rule book. It reportedly used the same formula that took the place of qualifying in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID.

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This was the lineup formula the previous two seasons: 

  • 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)

Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Atlanta?

Chase Briscoe was awarded the pole for Sunday's race based on the formula. Briscoe won last weekend's race at Phoenix — it was his first Cup Series win — and is fifth in the series points standings driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Ryan Blaney will join him on the front row. The Team Penske driver was fourth at Phoenix and is seventh in points. 

Starting lineup for Atlanta race

The front row will be Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney after qualifying for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 was canceled. They will lead a 37-car field to the green flag Sunday. Just one open team is entered this weekend: NY Racing Team, which boasts Greg Biffle as its driver.

Starting pos.DriverCar No.Team
1Chase Briscoe14Stewart-Haas Racing
2Ryan Blaney12Team Penske
3Joey Logano22Team Penske
4Kyle Busch18Joe Gibbs Racing
5Tyler Reddick8Richard Childress Racing
6Chase Elliott9Hendrick Motorsports
7Ross Chastain1TrackHouse Racing
8Kevin Harvick4Stewart-Haas Racing
9Kurt Busch4523XI Racing
10Aric Almirola10Stewart-Haas Racing
11Alex Bowman48Hendrick Motorsports
12William Byron24Hendrick Motorsports
13Daniel Suarez99TrackHouse Racing
14Chris Buescher17Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
15Denny Hamlin11Joe Gibbs Racing
16Austin Cindric2Team Penske
17Austin Dillon3Richard Childress Racing
18Ty Dillon42Petty GMS Motorsports
19Bubba Wallace2323XI Racing
20Cole Custer41Stewart-Haas Racing
21Kyle Larson5Hendrick Motorsports
22Justin Haley31Kaulig Racing
23Erik Jones43Petty GMS Motorsports
24Brad Keselowski6Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
25Todd Gilliland38Front Row Motorsports
26Martin Truex Jr.19Joe Gibbs Racing
27Christopher Bell20Joe Gibbs Racing
28Ricky Stenhouse Jr.47JTG Daugherty Racing
29Michael McDowell34Front Row Motorsports
30Noah Gragson16Kaulig Racing
31Harrison Burton21Wood Brothers Racing
32Cody Ware51Rick Ware Racing
33Corey LaJoie7Spire Motorsports
34BJ McLeod78Live Fast Motorsports
35David Ragan15Rick Ware Racing
36Josh Bilicki77Spire Motorsports
37Greg Biffle44NY Racing Team

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.