The day will be all about retro paint schemes on the cars, series legends returning to the track and a storied venue that’s ready to tear up some more sheet metal.
The current drivers found out Saturday during qualifying how they’ll line up for the start of the race Sunday afternoon (3:42 p.m. ET green flag; FS1, TSN5, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Here’s a look at the pole winner and starting lineup for the 12th race on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
MORE: Watch the Goodyear 400 live with fuboTV (free trial)
Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Darlington?
Joey Logano will lead the field to green on Sunday after turning a 170.720 mph lap in the final round of qualifying. This is Logano’s 23rd career Cup Series pole and his first since 2019.
He said the P1 was “so much needed” for the Team Penske No. 22 team.
“The last couple of weeks were pretty rough, getting in a couple of crashes and not being strong at Dover,” he said, per NASCAR.com. Logano finished 29th in the rain-delayed race at Dover last weekend.
Kyle Larson will be alongside Logano on the front row after putting the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 car in P2.
Starting lineup for Darlington race
The 36 charter teams in the Cup Series comprise the field for Sunday’s race. Three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers will start bunched together: Christopher Bell in third, Martin Truex Jr. in fourth and Kyle Busch in fifth. Busch will be a race-day decision as the birth of his second child nears. Trevor Bayne is on standby to drive the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 car if Busch has to head home for the delivery.
Two big-name drivers will line up in the back of the pack: Chase Elliott in 34th and Kevin Harvick in 35th. Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 car crashed in practice after a tire went flat. Harvick was also the victim of a flat; the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 car took on too much damage to make a qualifying run.
