NASCAR at Las Vegas: Starting lineup for South Point 400, first playoff Round of 12 race

Kyle Larson won his sixth checkered flag of the season last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick feuded and the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoff field shrank down to 12 after the first elimination race of the postseason.

And kicking off the first of three races in the Round of 12 is the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN). Then the series will head to Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway before the playoff field drops down to eight drivers at the end of the three-race round.

After his win, Larson will start on the pole for the Las Vegas race with Ryan Blaney alongside him.

NASCAR playoffs guide: Everything you need to know about the postseason format

But because of the challenges related to racing during the COVID-19 pandemic, most race weekends this season do not include practice or qualifying sessions. That goes for playoff races too, and the playoff drivers will start at the front of the field. So without qualifying, NASCAR determines the starting lineup with a formula based on these factors:

• 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
• 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
• 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

Here’s a look at the starting lineup for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas.