NASCAR: Talladega provisional starting lineup – Denny Hamlin on pole
By Asher Fair
Denny Hamlin is slated to start from the pole position in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, according to NASCAR’s starting lineup formula.
Based on the formula that NASCAR uses to determine starting lineups, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin is slated to start the YellaWood 500, the second of three races in the round of 12 of the 2020 Cup Series playoffs, at Talladega Superspeedway from the pole position behind the wheel of his #11 Toyota.
This would mark Hamlin’s first pole position as a result of this formula in the eight races for which it has been used.
Hamlin is set to start from the pole position for this 188-lap race around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked oval in Lincoln, Alabama as a result of the fact that he owns the best combination of most recent race result, position in the owner standings, and rank of his fastest lap in the most recent race among the 12 drivers still eligible to win the championship.
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
Most recent race result is worth 50% (25% car and 25% driver) in this formula while position in the owner standings is worth 35% and fastest lap in the most recent race is worth 15%.
Hamlin sits in the top three in all three of these categories and is the only driver who can make that claim. He finished in third place in the most recent race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the #11 team sits in second in the owner standings, which has been the case after several consecutive races. His fastest lap at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was the fastest overall lap of the race.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway race winner Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing is set to start in second place alongside Hamlin behind the wheel of his #1 Chevrolet. The #1 team sits in ninth in the owner standings, but Busch’s win coupled with the fact that his fastest lap ranked only behind Hamlin’s netted him this front row starting position.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick, whose #4 team has led the owner standings after each of the last 27 races, is set to start in fifth place behind the wheel of his #4 Ford after a disappointing 10th place effort at Las Vegas Motor Speedway which saw him rank 14th in the fastest lap category.
Here is the full unofficial starting lineup for the 2020 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, based on the 39 drivers who competed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Starting Lineup
1st – Denny Hamlin
2nd – Kurt Busch
3rd – Martin Truex Jr.
4th – Alex Bowman
5th – Kevin Harvick
6th – Kyle Busch
7th – Brad Keselowski
8th – Joey Logano
9th – Clint Bowyer
10th – Chase Elliott
11th – Aric Almirola
12th – Austin Dillon
13th – Matt DiBenedetto
14th – Ryan Blaney
15th – Chris Buescher
16th – Erik Jones
17th – Jimmie Johnson
18th – Cole Custer
19th – Ryan Newman
20th – Matt Kenseth
21st – William Byron
22nd – Christopher Bell
23rd – John Hunter Nemechek
24th – Michael McDowell
25th – Ryan Preece
26th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
27th – Bubba Wallace
28th – Ty Dillon
29th – Corey LaJoie
30th – Tyler Reddick
31st – Daniel Suarez
32nd – Brennan Poole
33rd – Quin Houff
34th – J.J. Yeley
35th – Justin Haley
36th – Joey Gase
37th – Timmy Hill
38th – James Davison
39th – Brendan Gaughan
Next. Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark
NASCAR is expected to confirm the starting lineup on Wednesday morning, as they have been doing since the formula was introduced. Tune in to NBC at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, October 4 for the live broadcast of the 2020 YellaWood 500 from Talladega Superspeedway.