After making the massive jump from short track racing to Talladega Superspeedway, the drivers and teams of the NASCAR Cup Series find themselves dealing with a track somewhere in between this week. Kansas Speedway is set to host the first of two NASCAR weekends at the track this season. The Buschy McBusch Race 400 (yes, that’s the name of the race!) is scheduled to be run on Sunday afternoon. The 1.5-mile oval has put on many entertaining races over the years. The field found out their respective spots in the Buschy McBusch Race 400 starting lineup on Wednesday.
This article contains all kinds of vital information necessary to get you ready for the eleventh race of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Read on for the Buschy McBusch Race 400 starting lineup, start time, fast facts and NASCAR betting stats.
Want more NASCAR stats? Check out our updated driver standings and statistics article, complete with breakdown and analysis!
NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway
11th Buschy McBusch Race 400
Date: Sunday, May 2, 2021
Start Time: 3 p.m. EST
Track: Kansas Speedway — Kansas City, KS
Coverage: FS1
Pole Sitter: Brad Keselowski
Defending Champion: Denny Hamlin
Buschy McBusch Race 400 Race Details
Distance: 400.5 miles
Laps: 267
Lap Length: 1.5 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-80; Laps 81-160; Laps 161-267)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4
Buschy McBusch Race 400 Starting Grid
See below for a breakdown of qualifying.
| Starting Position | Driver | Car Number | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Ty Dillon | 42 | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 11 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | Kurt Busch | 45 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 14 | Erik Jones | 43 | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing | Ford |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 18 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing | Ford |
| 19 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 20 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 21 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 23 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 24 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 25 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 26 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Justin Allgaier | 77 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 28 | Noah Gragson | 16 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | J.J. Yeley | 15 | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 30 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 31 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 32 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 33 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 35 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 36 | Josh Williams | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Overview
Following the virus-caused interruption to racing last season, NASCAR did away with practice and qualifying runs at the majority of races. A combination of grouped draws and a performance-metrics formula were used to determine starting grids. That same formula remains in place for the majority of races on the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, including this weekend’s Buschy McBusch Race 400 starting lineup.
So, what exactly is involved in the performance-metrics formula? Well, it draws on a number of factors including individual race performances and seaosn-long results. The following breakdown illustrates the weighted grades associated with each component of NASCAR’s metrics formula:
NASCAR Cup Series Metrics Formula Breakdown
- 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
- 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
- 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
- 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race
Buschy McBusch Race 400 Stats and NASCAR Betting Facts
- With Busch Beer becoming the title sponsor of the race this season, the company put the official name of the race up to a fan contest. Fans paid $1 to submit their race names for consideration with all money being donated to the non-profit charity Farm Rescue. As seen throughout the article, the winning name was “Buschy McBusch Race 400”.
- Although the spring race at Kansas Speedway has only been around for ten years, it has had several other names in the past. In 2015, it was run as the “SpongeBob SquarePants 400”.
- When it comes to all-time victories at Kansas, current NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick sits in a three-way tie with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon at three apiece.
- Since its inception in 2011, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin are the only drivers to win the Buschy McBusch Race 400 more than once. Each has two victories in this race, with Hamlin being the defending champion and Keselowski last winning in 2019.
- Joe Gibbs Racing leads all race teams with four victories in the race. Hamlin’s win last year was JGR’s first in this race since Kyle Busch in 2016.
- Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske are the only other teams with multiple wins in this race with two apiece.
- Toyota leads all manufacturers with five wins in the Buschy McBusch Race 400. Four came courtesy of Joe Gibbs Racing while the fifth came by way of Martin Truex Jr. and Furniture Row Racing in 2017.
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