Denny Hamlin has won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Hamlin, the NASCAR Cup Series points leader, will start his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota from the pole position with Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford sharing the front row in the field.
Additionally, Austin Cindric won the pole for Saturday’s Contender Boats 250 (4:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
RELATED: Homestead-Miami schedule | 2021 Cup Series standings
As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.
NASCAR’s metrics formula for 2021 weighs:

25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
35 percent: Team owner points ranking
15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

See the full lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race below.

Start pos.

Driver
Car #
Team

1
Denny Hamlin
11
Joe Gibbs Racing

2
Joey Logano
22
Team Penske

3
Christopher Bell
20
Joe Gibbs Racing

4
Kevin Harvick
4
Stewart-Haas Racing

5
Kurt Busch
1
Chip Ganassi Racing

6
Michael McDowell
34
Front Row Motorsports

7
Brad Keselowski
2
Team Penske

8
Ryan Preece
37
JTG Daugherty Racing

9
Martin Truex Jr.
19
Joe Gibbs Racing

10
Cole Custer
41
Stewart-Haas Racing

11
Chase Elliott
9
Hendrick Motorsports

12
Chris Buescher
17
Roush Fenway Racing

13
Alex Bowman
48
Hendrick Motorsports

14
Ryan Blaney
12
Team Penske

15
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
47
JTG Daugherty Racing

16
Aric Almirola
10
Stewart-Haas Racing

17
Kyle Larson
5
Hendrick Motorsports

18
Erik Jones
43
Richard Petty Motorsports

19
Bubba Wallace
23
23XI Racing

20
Justin Haley
77
Spire Motorsports

21
Daniel Suarez
99
Trackhouse Racing Team

22
Austin Dillon
3
Richard Childress Racing

23
Ryan Newman
6
Roush Fenway Racing

24
Kyle Busch
18
Joe Gibbs Racing

25
Corey LaJoie
7
Spire Motorsports

26
Cody Ware
51
Petty Ware Racing

27
Anthony Alfredo
38
Front Row Motorsports

28
Garrett Smithley
53
Rick Ware Racing

29
James Davison
15
Rick Ware Racing

30
Chase Briscoe
14
Stewart-Haas Racing

31
William Byron
24
Hendrick Motorsports

32
Ross Chastain
42
Chip Ganassi Racing

33
Timmy Hill
66
MBM Motorsports

34
BJ McLeod
78
Live Fast Motorsports

35
Tyler Reddick
8
Richard Childress Racing

36
Josh Bilicki
52
Rick Ware Racing

37
Matt DiBenedetto
21
Wood Brothers Racing

38
Quin Houff
00
StarCom Racing

Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Busch Pole Qualifying was held for the season-opening Daytona 500; the next race with time trials scheduled is the March 28 event at Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track.

Read More