The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond Raceway for short-track racing under the lights on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kevin Harvick will lead the field to green in the Federated Auto Parts 400.
Harvick won the Busch Pole Award after winning last week’s race at Darlington Raceway.
The lineup was formed based on four groups: driver’s finishing position from last race (weighted 25%), owner’s finishing position (25%), rank in owner standings (35%) and fastest lap from previous race (15%). The 16 drivers in the playoffs filled up the first 16 spots, and such will be the case in each sequential round (12 drivers in the round of 12, etc.).
Team Penske’s Joey Logano starts next to Harvick on the front row, and last week’s runner-up Austin Dillon starts third. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman and William Byron round out the top five positions.
Joe Gibbs Racing cohorts Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin begin sixth and seventh. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch is eighth, Logano’s Penske teammate Brad Keselowski is ninth and Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing peer Aric Almirola completes the top 10.
Cup Starting Lineup for Richmond
The Federated Auto Parts 400 airs on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.