NASCAR lineup at Bristol
The starting lineup and pole for Saturday night’s NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the third race of the 2020 Cup Series playoffs, were not set by the random-draw procedure that determined the starting order for most of the races in 2020 that ran without qualifying sessions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The starting grid for Saturday’s race at Bristol, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET and broadcast live on NBCSN, features some of this season’s top drivers at the front of the field. It is the result of a relatively new formula that takes into account finishing position from the previous race, team owner points standings and the fastest lap from the previous race to set the lineup.
Starting Lineup (P = In Playoffs)
| Pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1 | Brad Keselowski (P) | 2 | Team Penske |
| 2 | Joey Logano (P) | 22 | Team Penske |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. (P) | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick (P) | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 5 | Austin Dillon (P) | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 6 | Chase Elliott (P) | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 7 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 8 | Alex Bowman (P) | 88 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 9 | Kyle Busch (P) | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 10 | Aric Almirola (P) | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 11 | Clint Bowyer (P) | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 12 | Cole Custer (P) | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 13 | Kurt Busch (P) | 1 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 14 | Ryan Blaney (P) | 12 | Team Penske |
| 15 | William Byron (P) | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 16 | Matt DiBenedetto (P) | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 17 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 18 | Christopher Bell | 95 | Leavine Family Racing |
| 19 | Matt Kenseth | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 20 | Erik Jones | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 21 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 22 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 23 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 24 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 25 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 26 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 27 | Bubba Wallace | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 28 | Ty Dillon | 13 | Germain Racing |
| 29 | Daniel Suarez | 96 | Gaunt Brothers Racing |
| 30 | Corey LaJoie | 32 | Go Fas Racing |
| 31 | John Hunter Nemechek | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 32 | Brennan Poole | 15 | Premium Motorsports |
| 33 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
| 34 | Reed Sorenson | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 35 | James Davison | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 36 | Joey Gase | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
| 37 | Gray Gaulding | 27 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 38 | Timmy Hill | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
| 39 | Josh Bilicki | 7 | Tommy Baldwin Racing |
| 40 | Garrett Smithley | 78 | B.J. McLeod Motorsports |