NASCAR: Several lineup changes since Sunday at Charlotte
By Asher Fair
There have been several changes to the driver lineup between Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and this Wednesday’s race at the track.
This Sunday evening’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the seventh race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season and the third to feature a full field of 40 drivers.
It was the second of three races to feature a full field since the series returned amid the coronavirus pandemic last Sunday at Darlington Raceway.
This Wednesday’s Alsco Uniforms 500, also at the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Charlotte Motor Speedway oval in Concord, North Carolina, is also slated to feature a full field of 40 cars.
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However, there have been several changes to the driver lineup between Sunday evening’s 405-lap race and Wednesday evening’s 208-lap race.
Just 37 drivers who competed in Sunday’s race are set to be back behind the wheel of the same cars this evening. One other driver is set to switch cars, while two drivers who did not compete at all are on Sunday are slated to do so this evening.
Reed Sorenson is set to replace Ross Chastain behind the wheel of the #77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, and this entry is not set to be prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing like Chastain’s was on Sunday.
J.J. Yeley is set to replace Gray Gaulding behind the wheel of the #27 Ford for Rick Ware Racing, while Josh Bilicki is set to replace Yeley behind the wheel of the #7 Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing.
The starting lineup for tonight’s race was set using the finishing order of Sunday’s race. 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 finish where they started.
Chastain finished in 21st place, Gaulding finished in 31st and Yeley finished in 37th. But instead of starting in 21st, 31st and 37th, replacements Sorenson, Yeley and Bilicki are set to start at the rear of the field.
The reason this applies for Yeley as well, even though he did compete in the first race, is that his 37th place finish was earned in a different car than the one he is set to drive this evening.
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Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron is set to lead the field to the green flag after finishing in 20th place on Sunday evening. Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET this evening for the live broadcast of the Alsco Uniforms 500 from Charlotte Motor Speedway.