South Point 400 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Race

The second round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is set to begin this weekend in Sin City. Sunday night’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway sure has a tough act to follow following a thrilling Bristol Night Race last weekend. Four of the 16 playoff drivers have officially been eliminated. That leaves just a dozen remaining to battle it out for the 2021 NASCAR Championship. Kyle Larson will start from the pole position in Sunday’s South Point 400 starting lineup.

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

NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

4th South Point 400
Date: Sunday, September 26, 2021
Start Time: 7 p.m. EST
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway — Las Vegas, NV
Coverage: NBCSN
Pole Sitter: Kyle Larson
Defending Champion: Kurt Busch

South Point 400 Race Details

Distance: 400.5 miles
Laps: 267
Lap Length: 1.5 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-80; 81-160; 161-267)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4

South Point 400 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 South Point 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 South Point 400 starting lineup are all occupied by playoff drivers.

South Point 400 Race History and NASCAR Stats

The following sections offer various NASCAR stats of note and interesting history of the South Point 400.

Race History

• With this only the fourth year of its existence, the South Point 400 is one of the newest events on the current NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
• After only hosting one NASCAR weekend annually, Las Vegas Motor Speedway got this second race date in the fall in 2018. It replaced New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s fall date.
• Since its inception, the event has been run with the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa as its title sponsor. Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Brendan Gaughan’s father owns the South Point.
• In 2019, the race was moved to a prime-time start to make the conditions more comfortable for both the drivers and fans, alike. It marked the first ever nighttime Cup Series race in the speedway’s history.

NASCAR Stats and Race Records

• With the South Point 400 only having been run three times prior to this year, the race stats and records to date are limited. Brad Keselowski took home the win in the first-ever edition back in 2018, driving a Ford Mustang for Team Penske.
• In 2019, Martin Truex Jr. was victorious driving his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.
• Last year, Kurt Busch pulled off a surprise win as a NASCAR Playoffs underdog in this race to punch his ticket to the round of eight. He was driving a Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing. Interestingly enough, it was the first win ever for the CGR race team at Las Vegas.
• Given the lack of NASCAR stats specific to the South Point 400, we will also briefly consider statistics from the older Las Vegas Motor Speedway spring race. With two additional wins in the spring event, Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers with three total wins at LVMS.
• Among current drivers, Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano are the only ones to win in the Sin City multiple times.
• Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports sit 1-2 in wins by a race team at LVMS with seven and six, respectively.
• Ford has won the most races at Las Vegas among car manufacturers all-time. The 13 total victories include Keselowski’s South Point 400 win in 2018.