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NASCAR Playoffs at Martinsville: First Data 500 starting grid, lineup

By Nick Tylwalk

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 27: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Halloween Toyota, poses with the Virginia Lottery Pole Award after posting the fastest lap during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 27, 2018 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 27: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Halloween Toyota, poses with the Virginia Lottery Pole Award after posting the fastest lap during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 27, 2018 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /
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The members of the Big 3 are all facing very different sets of circumstances to start the first race in the Round of 8.

While the Big 3 of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. dominated the regular season, that hasn’t been the case since the NASCAR Playoffs started. All three made it to the Round of 8, but as it gets underway with the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway, they find themselves in very different parts of the starting grid.

Busch, the only one of the three to win in the first six playoff races, is sitting relatively pretty having won the pole. It’s his second time starting up front during the playoffs, though his first time doing that, at Dover did not lead to a victory.

Harvick dd not even make the final round of qualifying and was set to start 13th but instead will begin his day 12th. That’s because Truex failed pre-race inspection and had his qualifying time disallowed and will start 33rd instead. That could lead to a long day for the 78 team and Truex, who has never won a short track race.

Clint Bowyer, the spring Martinsville race winner, is beside Busch in Row 1, with every other playoff driver in the top 12 except Chase Elliott, who isn’t all that much further back in 19th.

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Coverage of the First Data 500 is set to start at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with the green flag scheduled for approximately 2:43 p.m.

2018 First Data 500 starting grid for Martinsville Speedway

(p) – driver still alive in the NASCAR Playoffs

  1. Kyle Busch (p) – No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota
  2. Clint Bowyer (p) – No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford
  3. Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota
  4. Ryan Blaney – No. 12 Menards/Moen Ford
  5. Aric Almirola (p) – No. 10 Smithfield Ford
  6. Kurt Busch (p) – No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford
  7. Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Thomas Built Buses Ford
  8. Daniel Suarez – No. 19 ARRIS Toyota
  9. Kyle Larson – No. 42 First Data/Clover Chevrolet
  10. Joey Logano (p) – No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford
  11. William Byron – No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet
  12. Kevin Harvick (p) – No. 4 Busch Beer Ford
  13. Chris Buescher – No. 37 Bush’s Chili Beans Chevrolet
  14. Alex Bowman – No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet
  15. AJ Allmendinger – No. 47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet
  16. Ryan Newman – No. 31 E-Z-GO Chevrolet
  17. Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet
  18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford
  19. Chase Elliott (p) – No. 9 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet
  20. Michael McDowell – No. 34 Dockside Logistics Ford
  21. Erik Jones – No. 20 DeWalt Toyota
  22. Ross Chastain – No. 15 Ternio Chevrolet
  23. Ty Dillon – No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet
  24. Matt Kenseth – No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford
  25. Austin Dillon – No. 3 Dow Chevrolet
  26. Matt DiBenedetto – No. 32 Keen Parts/CorvetteParts.Net Ford
  27. Regan Smith – No. 95 WRL General Contractors Chevrolet
  28. Cole Whitt – No. 72 MOEN Chevrolet
  29. D.J. Kennington – No. 96 Toyota
  30. Joey Gase – No. 00 Donate Life Chevrolet
  31. Hermie Sadler – No. 7 Virginia Lottery Chevrolet
  32. Landon Cassill – No. 99 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet
  33. Martin Truex Jr. (p) – No. 78 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Prop Shops Toyota
  34. Jimmie Johnson – No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
  35. Paul Menard – No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
  36. David Ragan – No. 38 MDS Transport Ford
  37. Bubba Wallace – No. 43 Pioneer Records Management Chevrolet
  38. JJ Yeley – No. 23 Adirondack Tree Surgeons Toyota
  39. Jeb Burton – No. 51 Jacob Companies Ford
  40. Timmy Hill – No. 66 TBD Toyota
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