FireKeepers Casino 400 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Race

After an unforgettable (for better or worse) road course weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series makes its long-overdue return to an oval circuit on Sunday. Michigan International Speedway will be the site of the FireKeepers Casino 400, one of just two races remaining before the start of the NASCAR Playoffs. Points and victories are certainly on the minds of many drivers and teams heading into this weekend’s action at the track they call ‘Wide and Fast’.

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

NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway

52nd FireKeepers Casino 400
Date: Sunday, August 22, 2021
Start Time: 3 p.m. EST
Track: Michigan International Speedway — Brooklyn, MI
Coverage: NBCSN
Pole Sitter: Kyle Larson
Defending Champion: Kevin Harvick

FireKeepers Casino 400 Race Details

Distance: 400 miles
Laps: 200
Lap Length: 2.0 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-60; 61-120; 121-200)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4

FireKeepers Casino 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 FireKeepers Casino 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

FireKeepers Casino 400 Race History and NASCAR Stats

• The FireKeepers Casino 400 has been held at Michigan International Speedway every year since 1969. It has been run under the current title sponsor name since 2016.
• Cale Yarborough won this event a whopping six times as part of his Hall of Fame NASCAR Cup Series career. The first victory came in the first ever running in 1969. His sixth win came 14 years later in 1983.
• Yarborough’s six wins still stand two clear of any other driver on the all-time list. Both Bill Elliott and David Pearson claimed four victories to share second.
• Among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers, only three have won the FireKeepers Casino 400 multiple times. Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano have each lifted the race trophy twice.
• While Denny Hamlin won the race in back-to-back seasons in 2010-11, Joey Logano has won two of the last five editions in 2016 and ’19.
• Sunday’s pole-sitter, Kyle Larson, won the FireKeepers Casino 400 back in 2017. He was driving the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing at that time.
• Three race teams sit tied for the most all-time wins in this race. Hendrick Motorsports, Wood Brothers Racing and Roush Fenway Racing each own six victories apiece.
• Kevin Harvick’s victory last season was the second FireKeepers Casino 400 win for Stewart-Haas Racing in the last three years and third in the last six.
• Ford tops all manufacturers with 20 all-time wins in this race. Mustangs have also found victory lane in four of the last five years.