Matt DiBenedetto starts from the pole as the top-20 finishers from Saturday's race invert at the Monster Mile
Think you're seeing double? That's because you are. The NASCAR Cup Series wraps up its weekend doubleheader at Dover International Speedway with the exact same Drydene 311 race name it had on Saturday.
The starting lineup will be radically different, however, following a race won by Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin. Under the sport's doubleheader rules, the top 20 finishers will be inverted for Sunday's race. That means Hamlin will find himself 20th, forced to work through traffic while 20th-place finisher Matt DiBenedetto earns the pole.
From 21st on back, however, those placements will be subject to the same rules on setting starting spots for a typical NASCAR COVID-19 race. (There will be no practice or qualifying for tomorrow's event). The particulars surrounding how their positions are calculated are listed below.
50 percent of the metric will be their finishing position from the previous race.
35 percent of the metric will be their team’s position in the NASCAR Cup Series owner standings.
15 percent of the metric will be their fastest lap during the previous race.
Officials will then set the lineup based on those totals (the lower the number, the better the starting spot for each driver). The same 40 drivers and teams from Saturday's race will be entered for Sunday's version.
1. Matt DiBenedetto
2. Ryan Newman
3. Ty Dillon
4. Aric Almirola
5. Chris Buescher
6. Austin Dillon
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Tyler Reddick (R)
9. Erik Jones
10. Cole Custer (R)
11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
12. Brad Keselowski
13. Joey Logano
14. Jimmie Johnson
15. Clint Bowyer
16. Chase Elliott
17. Kevin Harvick
18. Kyle Busch
19. Martin Truex Jr.
20. Denny Hamlin
21. Alex Bowman
22. Matt Kenseth
23. William Byron
24. Christopher Bell (R)
25. Michael McDowell
26. Bubba Wallace
27. John Hunter Nemechek (R)
28. Kurt Busch
29. Ryan Preece
30. Corey Lajoie
31. Daniel Suarez
32. JJ Yeley (i)
33. Josh Bilicki (i)
34. Brennan Poole (R)
35. Quin Houff (R)
36. Timmy Hill (i)
37. Reed Sorenson
38. Joey Gase (i)
39. Garrett Smithley (i)
40. BJ McLeod (i)
(R) – Rookie
(i) – Ineligible to collect Cup Series points
QUALIFYING NOTES
- Matt DiBenedetto (pole) will start up front for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career.
- Ryan Newman (2nd) has his best starting spot of the season.
- Tyler Reddick (8th) is the highest-qualifying rookie.
- Alex Bowman (21st) and Kurt Busch (28th) will start from the back of the field after switching to backup cars.
- There is no defending winner of this race in the field. Last fall's winner Kyle Larson is not entered.
NASCAR RACE BREAKDOWN
Race: Drydene 311
Track: Dover International Speedway (Dover, Del.)
Date: Sunday, Aug. 23
TV: NBCSN, 4 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 311 laps (311 miles)
Stage 1: 70 Laps
Stage 2: 115 Laps
Final Stage: 126 Laps
PRE-RACE PREVIEW
