NASCAR: Michigan starting lineup – Joey Logano on pole
By Asher Fair
Joey Logano drew the pole position for Saturday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
For the second time in 13 random draws that have been conduced since the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series restarted following the unexpected 10-week hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Team Penske’s Joey Logano drew the pole position
Logano’s #22 Ford is set to lead the field to the green flag in this Saturday afternoon’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, a race he won from the pole position last year. Saturday’s race was rescheduled from early June due to the pandemic.
Set to start alongside Logano on the front row for this 156-lap race around the four-turn, 2.0-mile (3.219-kilometer) oval in Brooklyn, Michigan is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin in second place in his #11 Toyota.
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Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick, the most recent winner at Michigan International Speedway from last August, and Aric Almirola are set to share the second row in their #4 Ford and #10 Ford, respectively.
In 13 random draws, Almirola has been eligible for the pole position in 11, and he has yet to draw outside of the top five.
Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski is set to start in fifth place in his #2 Ford, and he is set to be joined on the third row by the highest drawing Chevrolet driver, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, in sixth in his #88 Chevrolet. Bowman won the most recent race on a 2.0-mile oval at Auto Club Speedway back in early March.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch are set to round out the top 10 in seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th place in their #18 Toyota, #9 Chevrolet, #14 Ford and #1 Chevrolet, respectively.
A total of 12 drivers have the chance to take the pole position under the current random draw format. The two drivers who had the chance to do so but failed to even draw inside the top 10 were Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. They are set to start in 11th and 12th place in their #12 Ford and #19 Toyota, respectively.
Here is the full starting lineup for the 2020 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Starting Lineup
1st – Joey Logano
2nd – Denny Hamlin
3rd – Kevin Harvick
4th – Aric Almirola
5th – Brad Keselowski
6th – Alex Bowman
7th – Kyle Busch
8th – Chase Elliott
9th – Clint Bowyer
10th – Kurt Busch
11th – Ryan Blaney
12th – Martin Truex Jr.
13th – Ryan Newman
14th – Tyler Reddick
15th – Matt DiBenedetto
16th – Cole Custer
17th – Jimmie Johnson
18th – Austin Dillon
19th – William Byron
20th – Matt Kenseth
21st – Michael McDowell
22nd – Chris Buescher
23rd – Erik Jones
24th – Bubba Wallace
25th – Quin Houff
26th – J.J Yeley
27th – Brennan Poole
28th – James Davison
29th – Christopher Bell
30th – Reed Sorenson
31st – John Hunter Nemechek
32nd – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
33rd – Garrett Smithley
34th – Ty Dillon
35th – Ryan Preece
36th – Corey LaJoie
37th – Daniel Suarez
38th – Timmy Hill
39th – Joey Gase
Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 4:00 p.m. ET tomorrow afternoon for the live broadcast of the FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway.