NASCAR All-Star lineup: Starting order, pole for Texas race & All-Star Open through random draw, owner points

The starting lineup and pole for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway were set by random draw among the drivers who automatically qualified for the event. 

The starting grid for the race at Texas (8 p.m. ET; FS1, TSN3, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will be led the hottest driver in the Cup Series. The random draw set the positions for the first 17 spots in the 21-car field. 

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Three of the final four spots in the All-Star Race field will be determined by the results of the All-Star Open (6 p.m. ET; FS1, TSN3, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), which will be run before the All-Star Race. The fourth and final open spot will go to the winner of an online fan vote. 

Below is the starting lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race and All-Star Open at Texas and how the Open field was set.

Who won the pole for the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas?

Kyle Larson, the hottest driver in the series, drew the No. 1 position for the All-Star Race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has won the previous two Cup Series races, at Charlotte and at Sonoma, and won every stage of both races. Larson is tied for the series lead with three wins this season. He won the All-Star Race in 2019.

To his right will be Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion and the 2017 All-Star Race winner.

Both drivers know how to get around intermediate tracks like Texas’ 1.5-mile oval. Larson completed a four-stage sweep at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600 two races ago, while Busch has a win (at Kansas), four top-fives and five top-10s in five races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2021. He also has a third-place finish at the 1.366-mile Darlington Raceway.

The second row consists of Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Cole Custer (Stewart-Haas Racing).

NASCAR All-Star Race lineup at Texas

The NASCAR drivers who automatically qualified for the 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race field earned eligibility in three ways:

— Won a NASCAR Cup-Series points-paying race in 2020 or 2021. Michael McDowell, (Daytona 500) and Christopher Bell (Daytona Road Course) qualified with wins in ’21.

— Won a NASCAR Cup Series championship. There are seven past Cup champions in the All-Star Race field: Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr.

— Won a past NASCAR All-Star Race. Eight previous race winners are in the field: Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Harvick, Larson, Logano and Ryan Newman. Harvick is two-time All-Star Race winner (2007, 2018).

The draw for the starting lineup took place Tuesday. Below are the results:

NASCAR All-Star Open lineup at Texas

The All-Star Open starting grid was set by owner points among the drivers who did not automatically qualify for the All-Star Race. Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who is 13th in the point standings, was awarded the pole position for the All-Star Open. Chris Buescher of Roush Fenway Racing will join him on the front row.

The draw for the starting lineup took place Tuesday. Below are the results:

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