NASCAR: Charlotte starting lineup – William Byron on pole

By virtue of his 20th place finish in the Coca-Cola 600, William Byron is set to start from the pole position in Wednesday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman dominated Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, winning the first two stages and leading a race-high 164 of the 405 laps that were contested around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Concord, North Carolina.

He restarted toward the front of the field on the final restart in overtime with two laps remaining, but he got loose and lost well over a dozen positions.

Following this horrible restart, he ended up finishing in 20th place as the final driver on the lead lap in what was a race he very well could have won.

More from NASCAR Cup Series

• NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
• NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
• NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
• NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
• NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500

His consolation would have been the pole position for Wednesday’s race at the same venue, as the starting lineup for Wednesday night’s 208-lap Alsco Uniforms 500 (kilometers, not miles) is set based on the results of the Coca-Cola 600.

The drivers who finished in the top 20 are set to start in the top 20, but in reverse order, while the drivers who did not finish in the top 20 are set to start where they finished, provided they return for Wednesday night’s race. Any new drivers will be sent to the rear of the field.

However, second place finisher Jimmie Johnson, also of Hendrick Motorsports, was disqualified after the race, as his #48 Chevrolet failed inspection.

That promoted Bowman to 19th place and teammate William Byron to 20th, making Byron the polesitter for Wednesday night’s race. This pole position is the sixth of Byron’s Cup Series career and his first of the season.

It is set to be an all Hendrick Motorsports front row with Byron’s #24 Chevrolet in first place and Bowman’s #88 Chevrolet in second.

Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell and Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto are set to share the second row in third and fourth place in their #34 Ford and #21 Ford, respectively.

Front Row Motorsports rookie John Hunter Nemechek and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola are set to share the third row in fifth and sixth place in their #38 Ford and #10 Ford, respectively.

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and Team Penske’s Joey Logano are set to share the fourth row in seventh and eighth place in their #3 Chevrolet and #22 Ford, respectively, while Stewart-Haas Racing rookie Cole Custer and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones are set to share the fifth row in ninth and 10th in their #41 Ford and #20 Toyota, respectively.

Meanwhile, race winner Brad Keselowski of Team Penske is set to start on the 10th row in 20th place in his #2 Ford alongside new runner-up Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports in 19th in his #9 Chevrolet.

Elliott saw a win slip away from him in the closing laps of the Coca-Cola 600 for the second straight race. Ironically, it was Byron who caused the caution flag period that ultimately led to the win getting away from Elliott.

Here is the full starting lineup for the 2020 Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Startling lineup
1st – William Byron
2nd – Alex Bowman
3rd – Michael McDowell
4th – Matt DiBenedetto
5th – John Hunter Nemechek
6th – Aric Almirola
7th – Austin Dillon
8th – Joey Logano
9th – Cole Custer
10th – Erik Jones
11th – Chris Buescher
12th – Christopher Bell
13th – Tyler Reddick
14th – Kurt Busch
15th – Martin Truex Jr.
16th – Kevin Harvick
17th – Kyle Busch
18th – Ryan Blaney
19th – Chase Elliott
20th – Brad Keselowski
21st – Reed Sorenson (replacing Ross Chastain)
22nd – Ryan Preece
23rd – Corey LaJoie
24th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
25th – Ty Dillon
26th – Matt Kenseth
27th – Ryan Newman
28th – Daniel Suarez
29th – Denny Hamlin
30th – Brennan Poole
31st – J.J. Yeley (replacing Gray Gaulding)
32nd – B.J. McLeod
33rd – Garrett Smithley
34th – Timmy Hill
35th – Quin Houff
36th – Joey Gase
37th – Josh Bilicki (replacing J.J. Yeley)
38th – Bubba Wallace
39th – Clint Bowyer
40th – Jimmie Johnson

Drivers replacing other drivers are set to be sent to the rear.

Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET this Wednesday, May 27 for the live broadcast of the Alsco Uniforms 500 from Charlotte Motor Speedway.