Unfortunately, rain showers and lightning prevented NASCAR from holding Cup Series qualifying on Saturday morning. Instead, the metric will set the starting lineup. The system was slightly altered for 2026,\u00a0so now it’s just an average of the car’s place in the owner standings (30%), and the entry’s finish in the most recent race (70%).\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a result, championship leader and Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick<\/a> will start from pole position on Sunday, and the No. 45 23XI Racing<\/a> Toyota granted the preferred pit box for the second race of the 2026 season. Joey Logano<\/a>, who won his Duel race and finished third (while crashing) in the 500, will join him on the front row in the No. 22 Team Penske<\/a> Ford.<\/p>\n Ricky Stenhouse Jr<\/a>. will start third, Chase Elliott<\/a> fourth, and Brad Keselowski<\/a> fifth.\u00a0Zane Smith<\/a>, Chris Buescher<\/a>, Riley Herbst<\/a>, Bubba Wallace<\/a>, and Josh Berry<\/a> will fill out the remainder of the top ten.<\/p>\n Some notables starting outside the top 20 include Ross Chastain<\/a> in 21st, Ryan Blaney<\/a> 22nd, Ryan Preece<\/a> 26th, Shane van Gisbergen<\/a> 28th, Denny Hamlin<\/a> 29th, Austin Cindric<\/a> 30th, Connor Zilisch<\/a> 31st, Christopher Bell<\/a> 32nd, Chase Briscoe<\/a> 34th, and Alex Bowman<\/a> 36th.<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n Full starting lineup for NASCAR Cup at Atlanta<\/p>\n We want your opinion!<\/p>\n What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?<\/p>\n