Darlington, NASCAR - Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Here is the provisional starting lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway if rain washes out qualifying again.
The NASCAR Cup Series is set for the first of its two annual trips to Darlington Raceway this weekend for the Goodyear 400.
The qualifying session for Sunday afternoon’s 293-lap race around the four-turn, 1.366-mile (2.198-kilometer) Darlington, South Carolina oval is scheduled to take place at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning.
There is currently just a 10% chance of rain, according to The Weather Channel, though NASCAR fans have grown accustomed to rain washing out qualifying this season. It has already happened multiple times.
If it happens again, here is what the lineup will look like for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
Provisional Starting Lineup 1st – Denny Hamlin 2nd – Ross Chastain 3rd – Kyle Larson 4th – William Byron 5th – Martin Truex Jr. 6th – Tyler Reddick 7th – Joey Logano 8th – Bubba Wallace 9th – Kevin Harvick 10th – Chase Elliott 11th – Ryan Blaney 12th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 13th – Daniel Suarez 14th – Austin Dillon 15th – Brad Keselowski 16th – Chris Buescher 17th – Aric Almirola 18th – A.J. Allmendinger 19th – Josh Berry 20th – Corey LaJoie 21st – Christopher Bell 22nd – Erik Jones 23rd – Justin Haley 24th – Michael McDowell 25th – Kyle Busch 26th – Chase Briscoe 27th – Ty Gibbs 28th – Austin Cindric 29th – Todd Gilliland 30th – Ryan Preece 31st – Harrison Burton 32nd – Ty Dillon 33rd – Noah Gragson 34th – Brennan Poole 35th – Ryan Newman 36th – B.J. McLeod
This lineup was determined using four factors: the driver’s finish in the most recent race, the car owner’s finish in the most recent race, the car owner’s rank in the owner standings, and the rank of the driver’s fastest lap in the most recent race.
The first two categories are weighted at 25%, meaning that they make up one larger category which is weighted at 50% for drivers who drive the same cars in every race. The third category is weighted at 35%, and the fourth is weighted at 15%.
This metric was used to set the starting lineups for races beginning in 2020, when qualifying sessions were not taking place. Its use continued in 2021, when qualifying sessions were few and far between.
Since 2022, when qualifying sessions returned on a weekly basis, this metric has still been used to set the starting lineups in the rare instances when qualifying was canceled. But it is still used on a weekly basis, as it is now used to set the qualifying orders, albeit in reverse.
If qualifying does, in fact, happen on Saturday morning, the drivers listed in the even positions are in group one, with Live Fast Motorsports’ B.J. McLeod set to lead things off, while the drivers listed in the odd positions are in group two, with Rick Ware Racing’s Ryan Newman set to lead things off in his Cup Series return.
The Goodyear 400 is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Darlington Raceway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, May 14. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss it!