Bank of America ROVAL 400 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Race

The second round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs concludes this Sunday with the Bank of America ROVAL 400. While this race dates all the way back to 1960, this year marks only the fourth time that it will be held on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, otherwise known as the Charlotte ROVAL. For a number of playoff drivers, Sunday’s race will be a last-ditch hope to try and keep their championship hopes alive. For the second consecutive week, Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag after being awarded the pole position in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 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 Bank of America ROVAL 400 starting lineup, start time, race facts and NASCAR stats.

NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway

61st Bank of America ROVAL 400
Date: Sunday, October 10, 2021
Start Time: 2 p.m. EST
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course — Concord, NC
Coverage: NBC
Pole Sitter: Denny Hamlin
Defending Champion: Chase Elliott

Bank of America ROVAL 400 Race Details

Distance: 248.52 miles (400 kilometers)
Laps: 109
Lap Length: 2.28 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-25; 26-50; 51-109)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 17

Bank of America ROVAL 400 Starting Lineup

See below for a breakdown of the qualifying metrics formula.

Starting Position	Driver	Car Number	Team	Manufacturer
1	Kyle Larson	5	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
2	Chase Elliott	9	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
3	William Byron	24	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
4	Ryan Blaney	12	Team Penske	Ford
5	Kurt Busch	1	Chip Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet
6	Denny Hamlin	11	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
7	Cole Custer	41	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
8	Christopher Bell	20	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
9	Kevin Harvick	4	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
10	Joey Logano	22	Team Penske	Ford
11	Brad Keselowski	2	Team Penske	Ford
12	Martin Truex Jr.	19	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
13	Kyle Busch	18	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
14	Matt DiBenedetto	21	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford
15	Alex Bowman	48	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
16	Ross Chastain	42	Chip Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet
17	Daniel Suarez	99	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
18	Aric Almirola	10	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
19	Ryan Newman	6	Roush Fenway Racing	Ford
20	Tyler Reddick	8	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
21	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet
22	Chase Briscoe	14	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
23	Austin Dillon	3	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
24	Corey LaJoie	7	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
25	Bubba Wallace	23	23XI Racing	Toyota
26	Chris Buescher	17	Roush Fenway Racing	Ford
27	Erik Jones	43	Richard Petty Motorsports	Chevrolet
28	Michael McDowell	34	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
29	Justin Haley	77	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
30	Anthony Alfredo	38	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
31	Ryan Preece	37	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet
32	B.J. McLeod	78	Live Fast Motorsports	Ford
33	Cody Ware	51	Petty Ware Racing	Chevrolet
34	Joey Gase	53	Rick Ware Racing	Chevrolet
35	Quin Houff	00	StarCom Racing	Chevrolet
36	David Starr	13	MBM Motorsports	Toyota
37	Josh Bilicki	52	Rick Ware Racing	Chevrolet
38	Garrett Smithley	15	Rick Ware Racing	Chevrolet
39	Timmy Hill	66	MBM Motorsports	Toyota

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 Bank of America ROVAL 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 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 12, the top 12 spots in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 starting lineup are all occupied by playoff drivers.

Bank of America ROVAL 400 Race History and NASCAR Stats

The following sections offer various NASCAR stats of note and interesting history of the Bank of America ROVAL 400.

Race History

• The very first edition of this race came back in 1960. Of course, it took place on the oval track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Speedy Thompson got the win for Wood Brothers Racing in the inaugural running of the “National 400”.
• After being run at a distance of 400 miles from 1960-65, the race was extended to encompass 500 miles beginning in 1966. It was run at that same distance on the oval up through 2017.
• 2018 marked the first voyage for the NASCAR Cup Series on the Charlotte ROVAL. The race known as the “Bank of America 500” became the present day “Bank of America ROVAL 400”. This will be the fourth consecutive year that the race will be run on the road course.

NASCAR Stats and Race Records

• Jimmie Johnson holds more victories in this race all-time than any other driver. He won the event four times in a span of 12 years from 2004-16.
• Three other drivers sit just behind Johnson for second on the all-time wins list. Cale Yarborough, Mark Martin and Bobby Allison each won the event three times.
• Ryan Blaney captured the first ever Bank of America ROVAL 400 to be run on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in 2018.
• Among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers, Chase Elliott is the only one with multiple wins in this race. In fact, Elliott enters this weekend as the two-time defending champion. Known for his prowess on road courses, Elliott took the checkered in both the 2019 and 2020 ROVAL races.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads all race teams with 10 all-time wins in this race. Of course, HMS has been the winning team in each of the past two years courtesy of Chase Elliott. No other race team has more than four wins.
• Chevrolet’s 23 victories top the all-time wins list among car manufacturers. Ford is runner-up with 19 victories.