Why is Chase Elliott on pole after NASCAR canceled Dover qualifying?

NASCAR used the qualifying metric to set the starting lineup for Sunday's Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR | Meg Oliphant/GettyImages

Due to rain at Dover Motor Speedway, NASCAR was unable to run Saturday's qualifying session for Sunday afternoon's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.

The starting lineup for Sunday's 400-lap race around the four-turn, 1.0-mile (1.609-kilometer) high-banked Monster Mile oval in Dover, Delaware was determined by a new formula that NASCAR developed over the offseason.

The new formula is a two-variable formula based on the car's finish in the most recent race and the car owner's position in the owner standings. It replaced the four-variable formula which was used from 2020 to 2024.

The old formula was based on the car's rank in the owner standings (35%), the driver's finish in the most recent race (25%), the car's finish in the most recent race (25%), and the rank of the driver's fastest lap in the most recent race (15%). For drivers who drive the same car every week, the two categories weighted at 25% were effectively combined into one larger category worth 50%.

The current formula weighs the car's finish in the most recent race at 70% and the car's rank in the owner standings at 30%.

NASCAR formula sets Dover starting lineup; Chase Elliott on pole

This formula is generally used to determine the qualifying order. The higher (worse) scores are sent out at the beginning of the single-car session, and the lower (better) scores are sent out at the end of the line.

But when qualifying is canceled, the order is effectively flipped. And so Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott, who had been lined up to qualify 37th and last in the order on Saturday, is set to lead the field to the green flag on Sunday afternoon.

Elliott finished in third place at Sonoma Raceway last weekend, and his No. 9 team sits in second in the owner standings, giving him the best metric score this weekend.

Elliott is a two-time Dover winner, with the more recent of his two victories coming in May 2022. That win was his first win of the Next Gen era, and he ended up leading the series in total wins and total points that season, despite not winning the championship.

A full starting lineup for Sunday's Dover race can be found here.

TNT Sports is set to provide live coverage of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 from Dover Motor Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.