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Bank of America 500: Starting grid, lineup for NASCAR Playoffs at Charlotte

By Nick Tylwalk

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 06: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, and his team pose with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying in the pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 06: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, and his team pose with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying in the pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /
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The Round of 12 for the NASCAR Playoffs kicks off at Charlotte, and one contender will be starting a bit further back than you might expect.

The NASCAR Playoffs have an unusual ebb and flow due to their structure, with the intensity of a cutoff race followed by the relative calm of a clean slate for the next round. No one will be eliminated this week during the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte, but there will still be storylines and opportunities.

One of the former will be seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson trying to race his way to the front after starting last among the 12 drivers still alive for the championship. Johnson will roll off 25th on Sunday afternoon, the only playoff driver other than Ricky Stenhouse Jr. starting lower than the top 18.

As usual at this time of year, the top 10 spots on the grid are dominated by playoff drivers, including six of the top seven and seven of the top 10. Denny Hamlin sits on the pole, another qualifying triumph for Toyota, with Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch following right behind him.

Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne could be wondering what might have been, as both drivers have top-10 starting spots after being bounced from the playoffs at Dover.

Here’s a look at the complete grid for the race, which begins shortly after 1:00 p.m. on NBC:

Bank of America 500 starting lineup

(p) indicates driver still alive in the 2017 NASCAR Playoffs

  1. Denny Hamlin (p)
  2. Matt Kenseth (p)
  3. Kevin Harvick (p)
  4. Kyle Busch (p)
  5. Clint Bowyer
  6. Brad Keselowski (p)
  7. Chase Elliott (p)
  8. Kurt Busch
  9. Kasey Kahne
  10. Kyle Larson (p)
  11. Ryan Newman
  12. Danica Patrick
  13. Austin Dillon
  14. Daniel Suarez
  15. Ryan Blaney (p)
  16. Michael McDowell
  17. Martin Truex Jr. (p)
  18. Jamie McMurray (p)
  19. A.J. Allmendinger
  20. Paul Menard
  21. Chris Buescher
  22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (p)
  23. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  24. Aric Almirola
  25. Jimmie Johnson (p)
  26. Trevor Bayne
  27. Ty Dillon
  28. Joey Logano
  29. Matt DiBenedetto
  30. Landon Cassill
  31. David Ragan
  32. Cole Whitt
  33. B.J. McLeod
  34. Reed Sorensen
  35. Gray Gaulding
  36. Timmy Hill
  37. Jeffrey Earnhardt
  38. Erik Jones
  39. Corey LaJoie
  40. Brett Moffitt
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