The NASCAR Cup Series will now shift to the Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) for 312 laps around the 1-mile Instacart 500 on Sunday, Mar. 14. Brad Keselowski will start from pole instead of last weekend's winner, Kyle Larson. The Team Penske No. 2 driver may have finished second at Las Vegas, but he won the Busch Pole Award because of his second place in the points standings, with 149 in comparison to Larson, who is third with 147 points.
The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) driver Larson will, however, start alongside the NASCAR veteran on the front row.
Keselowski won Stage 1 of the Pennzoil 400, before Larson took matters into his own hands to win Stage 2, and eventually the race as well. It marked his first win with HMS after reinstatement to NASCAR.
Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell will make up the second row for the Phoenix race.
There will be no practice or qualifying for this fifth race in the NASCAR Cup Series because of the COVID-19 restrictions in place.
The next qualifying session will be for the dirt-track race at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 28.
Jason Biggs, an American actor and comedian, will serve as the Grand Marshall for the race and bring the field to life for the NASCAR Instacart 500.
Also Read: Kyle Busch caps good weekend at the home track with top 5 in Pennzoil 400
How is the NASCAR starting lineup for the Instacart 500 at Phoenix determined?
Since there is no qualifying, metrics determine the lineup for the NASCAR Cup race at PIR. The metrics are based on individual performance, along with season-long results.
- 25% of driver's finish position from the last race
- 25% of car owner's finish position from the last race
- 35% points ranking for team owners
- 15% consideration given to fastest lap since last race
Also Read: Michael McDowell shares struggle after NASCAR race at Las Vegas
Phoenix starting lineup
The lineup for the NASCAR Instacart 500 at PIR on March 14:
1 Brad Keselowski - No. 2 Team Penkse Ford
2 Kyle Larson - No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3 Denny Hamlin - No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4 Christopher Bell - No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5 Martin Truex Jr. - No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6 Chase Elliott - No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 Kyle Busch - No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
8 Ryan Blaney - No. 12 Team Penske Ford
9 Joey Logano - No. 22 Team Penske Ford
10 William Byron - No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
11 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
12 Kurt Busch - No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
13 Austin Dillon - No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
14 Erik Jones - No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
15 Ryan Preece - No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
16 Michael McDowell - No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
17 Chris Buescher - No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kevin Harvick - No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
19 Ryan Newman - No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
20 Matt DiBenedetto - No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
21 Alex Bowman - No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
22 Ross Chastain - No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
23 Tyler Reddick - No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
24 Cole Custer - No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
25 Bubba Wallace - No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
26 Chase Briscoe - No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
27 Daniel Suarez - No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
28 Anthony Alfredo - No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
29 Justin Haley - No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
30 BJ McLeod - No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford
31 Cody Ware - No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
32 Aric Almirola - No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
33 Corey LaJoie - No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
34 JJ Yeley - No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
35 Quin Houff - No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet
36 Josh Bilicki - No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Ford
37 Timmy Hill - No. 66 MBM Motorsports Ford
38 James Davison - No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
Also Read: Chase Elliott spins, makes amazing save in NASCAR race at Las Vegas
How to watch the NASCAR race at Phoenix?
The NASCAR Cup Series race at PIR, Instacart 500, can be watched on FOX at 3:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Mar. 14.
Pit stall selection for the NASCAR race at Phoenix
The Instacart 500 will be the first NASCAR event at Phoenix International Raceway this season before it returns to the oval track for the championship race in November.
Also Read: AJ Allmendinger talks process, being in the moment after NASCAR Xfinity win at Las Vegas
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