Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Race

After a chaotic elimination race at the Charlotte ROVAL this past weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is set to head west to the Lone Star State. The NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8 will begin this Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway with the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500. The other race at the 1.5-mile oval this season was the All-Star Race back in June. Kyle Larson took home the $1 million prize on that night. Considering that he was also last week’s ROVAL winner, it’s no surprise that the No. 5 car drew pole position in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 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 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 starting lineup, start time, race facts and NASCAR stats.

NASCAR Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway

16th Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500
Date: Sunday, October 17, 2021
Start Time: 2 p.m. EST
Track: Texas Motor Speedway — Fort Worth, TX
Coverage: NBC
Pole Sitter: Kyle Larson
Defending Champion: Kyle Busch

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Race Details

Distance: 501 miles
Laps: 334
Lap Length: 1.5 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-105; 106-210; 211-334)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Starting Lineup

See below for a breakdown of the qualifying metrics formula.

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 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 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 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 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 starting lineup are all occupied by playoff drivers.

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Race History and NASCAR Stats

The following sections offer various NASCAR stats of note and interesting history of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500.

Race History

• After hosting only one NASCAR Cup Series race annually, Texas Motor Speedway acquired this event beginning in 2005 as a result of the Ferko lawsuit. The settlement took a race from Darlington Raceway and moved it to Texas.
• The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 race trophy is in the shape of a cowboy hat sitting atop a piston.
• This race was featured in the 2006 movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. However, the action was acutally filmed at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• This marks just the second year under the current sponsorship naming rights. The event was most recently known as the AAA Texas 500 from 2010-2019.

NASCAR Stats and Race Records

• Carl Edwards won the first running of this race back in 2005 while driving for Roush Fenway Racing. He finished his career with three wins in the event.
• Jimmie Johnson tops the all-time wins list with five victories in this race. Four of them came in consecutive seasons from 2012-15.
• The only active NASCAR Cup Series driver with multiple victories in this race is Kevin Harvick. He is tied with Edwards with three career wins. Interestingly enough, all three of Harvick’s wins came in consecutive seasons from 2017-19.
• Defending race winner, Kyle Busch, is just the third driver to win the event in a Toyota.
• Thanks to Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports holds the all-time lead among race teams with five Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 wins. No other HMS driver has ever won the race.
• Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing sit tied for second among race teams with four wins apiece. The two teams have combined to win in each of the last five years.
• Chevrolet holds a slight lead among manufacturers with seven race wins. Ford is second with five while defending champion, Toyota, has three.