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    Xfinity 500 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Race

    Henry JohnBy No Comments4 Mins Read NASCAR
    Xfinity 500 starting lineup NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway
    Credit: Ryan Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

    The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. The Xfinity 500 should be a thrilling one for race fans. The combination of the beating and banging racing that short-track racing provides and the heightened stakes of this being a playoff cutoff race figures to provide plenty of entertaining moments. Like clockwork, Kyle Larson will start Sunday afternoon on the pole. After his third consecutive win last week at Kansas, Larson sits out in front of the official Xfinity 500 starting lineup.

    The following article contains all kinds of vital information to get you set for Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series action. Read on for the complete Hollywood Casino 400 starting lineup, start time, race facts and NASCAR stats.

    Xfinity 500 starting lineup NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway
    Credit: Ryan Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

    NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway

    72nd Xfinity 500
    Date: Sunday, October 31, 2021
    Start Time: 2 p.m. EST
    Track: Martinsville Speedway — Ridgeway, VA
    Coverage: NBC
    Pole Sitter: Kyle Larson
    Defending Champion: Chase Elliott

    Xfinity 500 Race Details

    Distance: 263 miles
    Laps: 500
    Lap Length: 0.526 miles
    Stages: Three (Laps 1-130; 131-260; 261-500)
    Surface: Asphalt on the Straightaways; Concrete in the Turns
    Turns: 4

    Xfinity 500 Starting Lineup

    See below for a breakdown of the qualifying metrics formula.

    Starting PositionDriverCar NumberTeamManufacturer
    1Cole Custer41Stewart-Haas RacingFord
    2Christopher Bell20Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
    3Tyler Reddick8Richard Childress RacingChevrolet
    4Chase Briscoe14Stewart-Haas RacingFord
    5Kyle Larson5Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
    6Justin Haley31Kaulig RacingChevrolet
    7Ty Dillon42Petty GMS MotorsportsChevrolet
    8Alex Bowman48Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
    9Chase Elliott9Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
    10Joey Logano22Team PenskeFord
    11Kyle Busch18Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
    12Austin Dillon3Richard Childress RacingChevrolet
    13Kurt Busch4523XI RacingToyota
    14Erik Jones43Petty GMS MotorsportsChevrolet
    15Chris Buescher17Roush Fenway Keselowski RacingFord
    16Ricky Stenhouse Jr.47JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
    17Michael McDowell34Front Row MotorsportsFord
    18Brad Keselowski6Roush Fenway Keselowski RacingFord
    19William Byron24Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
    20Austin Cindric2Team PenskeFord
    21Daniel Suarez99Trackhouse RacingChevrolet
    22Bubba Wallace2323XI RacingToyota
    23Todd Gilliland38Front Row MotorsportsFord
    24Harrison Burton21Wood Brothers RacingFord
    25Ryan Blaney12Team PenskeFord
    26Corey LaJoie7Spire MotorsportsChevrolet
    27Justin Allgaier77Spire MotorsportsChevrolet
    28Noah Gragson16Kaulig RacingChevrolet
    29J.J. Yeley15Rick Ware RacingFord
    30Martin Truex Jr.19Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
    31Aric Almirola10Stewart-Haas RacingFord
    32Kevin Harvick4Stewart-Haas RacingFord
    33Ross Chastain1Trackhouse RacingChevrolet
    34Denny Hamlin11Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
    35Cody Ware51Rick Ware RacingFord
    36Josh Williams78Live Fast MotorsportsFord

    NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Overview

    Following the 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 was 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 Sunday’s Xfintiy 500 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 season-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

    Note that all drivers currently in the NASCAR Playoffs receive priority starting spots over the rest of the field. Therefore, even if a non-playoff driver scores better in the metrics formula, he will still start behind all of those drivers in the running for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. With this being the Round of 8, the top 8 spots in the Xfinity 500 starting lineup are all occupied by playoff drivers.

    NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 starting lineup stats Martinsville Speedway Chase Elliott
    Credit: NASCAR Media Photo

    Xfinity 500 Race History and NASCAR Stats

    The following sections offer various NASCAR stats of note and interesting history for the Xfinity 500.

    Race History

    • The Xfinity 500 is in fact the oldest NASCAR race still run to this day.
    • The first edition of this race came all the way back in 1949, NASCAR’s first year racing at Martinville Speedway. Red Byron took the checkered flag that day, driving an Oldsmobile for Raymond Parks.
    • As is tradition at Martinsville, the winner of this race will receive a custom-made grandfather clock as the trophy.

    NASCAR Stats and Race Records

    • An impressive quartet of NASCAR Hall of Famers are tied with six wins for the most all-time in this race. Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson all won the Xfinity 500 six times in their historic careers.
    • Interestingly enough, all six of Petty’s wins came in a seven-year span from 1967-73. Waltrip did his best to follow that up by winning this race six times in a nine-year span from 1981-89.
    • Denny Hamlin is the only active NASCAR Cup Series driver with multiple wins in this race. The most recent of Hamlin’s two victories came in 2010.
    • Last season, Chase Elliott won the Xfinity 500 by an astounding margin of over seven seconds. The win advanced Elliott to the Championship 4 at Phoenix where he would go on to capture the title.
    • Elliott’s win last season extended the all-time lead for Hendrick Motorsports in this race. HMS holds a 17-9 lead over runner-up and now defunct Junior Johnson & Associates for the most Xfinity 500 wins by a race team.
    • Chevrolet is the top manufacturer when it comes to wins in this race. Their 31 all-time wins are more than double the 15 of runner-up Ford.

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    Henry’s passion for sports dates all the way back to childhood and has ultimately led to a full-fledged career as an analyst and content creator. After getting his start penning fantasy football articles, he forrayed into the betting side of the business in early 2019. His love for sports and statistics proved to be an ideal match with the dedicated research and strategy that handicapping requires. Henry currently specializes in betting analysis and picks for college football, college basketball and NASCAR. He counts the NFL, the WNBA, and NBA player props as additional leagues/markets of interest. Henry graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 2021 with a Communication Studies degree and a Psychology minor. A native of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York, he and his pup, Harold, have since relocated to Laramie, Wyoming. Thanks to his professional goals within the sports betting industry, there has been a whole lot of steam on the odds for a move to Las Vegas in 2023! Most of Henry’s free time is spent on outdoor adventures, playing chess, snowboarding, or reading a good book. He is also a competitive powerlifter and aspires to qualify for the USAPL Nationals meet within the next 2-3 years.

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