After finishing first at the Roval for the second consecutive season, Chase Elliott will be first in the starting lineup at Kansas Speedway for the first time Sunday as the Round of 8 opens in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Joey Logano will start second, followed by Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick in the second row.
Here are the starting positions for the rest of the remaining eight playoff drivers (in order): Martin Truex Jr. (fifth), Alex Bowman (sixth), Denny Hamlin (seventh) and Brad Keselowski (eighth). Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Aric Almirola were eliminated after the Round of 12 cutoff race at the Roval.
STARTING LINEUP: Where everyone will start in the Hollywood Casino 400
Elliott, who will be starting first for the fourth time this season, was awarded the Busch Pole Award using a formula based on four statistical categories: owner points position, the driver’s finish, team owner’s finish and fastest lap from the most recently completed race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver started second and led 27 of 109 laps Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Since the end of the regular season, playoff cars now fill the top starting positions, according to how many remain eligible for the championship. In the Round of 12, the top 12 starting positions will be playoff cars; in the Round of 8, the top eight starting positions will be playoff cars, etc.
NASCAR previously had used a random draw to set most of its lineups since returning in May during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has eliminated practice and qualifying on nearly all race weekends.
Click here for the Kansas Cup starting lineup for Sunday.
NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway
Race time: 2:30 p.m. ET, Sunday
Track: Kansas Speedway; Kansas City, Kansas (1.5-mile oval)
Length: 267 laps (400.5 miles)
Stages: Stage 1 ends Lap 80. Stage 2 ends Lap 160
TV coverage: NBC
Radio: Motor Racing Network (also SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Streaming: NBC Sports app (subscription required); mrn.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required)
Lineup: Click here for the Kansas Cup starting lineup
Next Xfinity race: Saturday at Kansas (200 laps, 300 miles), 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Next Truck race: Saturday at Kansas (134 laps, 201 miles), 4 p.m. ET on Fox