NASCAR: 2021 Sonoma Raceway – Full starting lineup
By Asher Fair
The starting lineup for the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway since June 2019, this Sunday’s Toyota Save Mart 350, is set.
After two consecutive NASCAR Cup Series race weekends saw qualifying sessions set the starting lineups, something that hadn’t been the case since the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway back in February, we are back to the starting lineup formula for this weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway.
This Sunday afternoon’s race, the Toyota Save Mart 350, is set to see Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson start from the pole position behind the wheel of his #5 Chevrolet.
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Take a look at how the full starting lineup was determined.
- 50% based on the finish in the most recent race
- 25% (50% of the 50%) based on the driver’s finish
- 25% (50% of the 50%) based on the car owner’s finish
- 35% based on the team’s rank in owner standings
- 15% based on the rank of the driver’s fastest lap in the most recent race
Larson took the pole position for this 90-lap race around the 12-turn, 2.52-mile (4.056-kilometer) Sonoma Raceway road course in Sonoma, California as a result of the fact that he won the most recent race at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the fifth fastest lap time and the fact that the #5 team sits in a second place tie in the owner standings.
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This marks four consecutive pole positions for Larson at Sonoma Raceway going back to the 2017 season. The races at the track in 2017, 2018 and 2019 all saw qualifying sessions determine the starting lineup, and the race was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19-related restrictions.
Larson is set to lead a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2-3 in the starting lineup for this race, as Chase Elliott is set to start alongside of him on the front row in second place behind the wheel of his #9 Chevrolet. William Byron is set to start in third behind the wheel of his #24 Chevrolet.
The top non-Hendrick Motorsports driver in the starting lineup is points leader Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing, who is set to start alongside Byron on the second row in fourth place behind the wheel of his #11 Toyota. The other Hendrick Motorsports driver, Alex Bowman, is set to start in seventh behind the wheel of his #48 Chevrolet.
Here is the full starting lineup for the 2021 Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
Starting Lineup
1st – Kyle Larson
2nd – Chase Elliott
3rd – William Byron
4th – Denny Hamlin
5th – Kyle Busch
6th – Austin Dillon
7th – Alex Bowman
8th – Kevin Harvick
9th – Brad Keselowski
10th – Tyler Reddick
11th – Ryan Blaney
12th – Chris Buescher
13th – Joey Logano
14th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
15th – Bubba Wallace
16th – Daniel Suarez
17th – Matt DiBenedetto
18th – Erik Jones
19th – Martin Truex Jr.
20th – Christopher Bell
21st – Michael McDowell
22nd – Corey LaJoie
23rd – Cole Custer
24th – Ryan Newman
25th – Chase Briscoe
26th – Aric Almirola
27th – Ryan Preece
28th – Anthony Alfredo
29th – Ross Chastain
30th – Kurt Busch
31st – Ben Rhodes
32nd – James Davison
33rd – Quin Houff
34th – Garrett Smithley
35th – Scott Heckert
36th – Josh Bilicki
37th – Cody Ware
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Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 4:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, June 6 for the live broadcast of the 2021 Toyota Save Mart 350 from Sonoma Raceway.