Goodyear 400 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Race

This coming weekend will see NASCAR pay tribute to drivers and cars of yore. Throwback Weekend is set to descend on Darlington Raceway. All three national series will be in action, including the NASCAR Cup Series which will run the Goodyear 400 on Sunday afternoon. This article contains all kinds of vital information necessary to get you ready for race No. 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Read on for the Goodyear 400 starting lineup, start time, fast facts and NASCAR stats.

NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway

51st Goodyear 400
Date: Sunday, May 9, 2021
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Track: Darlington Raceway — Darlington, SC
Coverage: FS1
Pole Sitter: Brad Keselowski
Defending Champions: Kevin Harvick (Race I) and Denny Hamlin (Race II)

Goodyear 400 Race Details

Distance: 400.238 miles
Laps: 293
Lap Length: 1.366 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-90; Laps 91-185; Laps 186-293)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4

Goodyear 400 Starting Grid

See below for a breakdown of qualifying.

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

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 Goodyear 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

Goodyear 400 Stats and NASCAR Betting Facts

• The very first edition of the race was held back in 1952, although the name of this running is unknown. Dick Rathmann emerged victorious in a race that was only 80 total laps. The spring race at Darlington Raceway would not be run again until 1957 in what was a 219-lap event.
• From 1957-62, the Goodyear 400 was a race specifically for convertibles. Now THAT is a fun fact!
• A common nickname for the spring Darlington race is the Rebel 400, which traces its roots back quite a way. The race was officially named “Rebel” from 1957-78.
• This race also had a more recent pause spanning from 2005-2019. NASCAR returned to Darlington with a pair of spring races last year as part of their on-the-fly scheduling adjustments.
• David Pearson tops the all-time driver list with seven career Goodyear 400 victories. He sits just one ahead of Dale Earnhardt.
• Thanks to the recent hiatus, the only active NASCAR Cup Series drivers to win the spring race at Darlington were last year’s respective doubleheader winners: Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin.
• The now-defunct Holman-Moody Racing’s seven wins are the most all-time in this race.
• Among active race teams, Richard Childress Racing leads the way with five Goodyear 400 victories. However, the most recent came all the way back in 1994.
• Ford has the most wins all-time in this race among manufacturers with 18. Chevrolet is a close second at 15.

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