Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, was awarded the pole position for the upcoming Cup Series Playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway, the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500, on Sunday, October 25.
Harvick, who led a race-high 85 laps and finished in second place in last weekend’s Playoff race at Kansas Speedway, earned the pole based on four stats: current owner’s standings, the driver’s results from a previous Cup race, the owner’s results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap established from a previous Cup race.
The pole award marks the sixth time of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, third in the Playoffs, where Harvick and his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team will lead the field to the start of an event. Currently, Harvick is 41 points above the top-four cutline in his efforts to make the Championship 4 round and contend for his second Cup title. In addition, Harvick enters this weekend’s event at Texas with extra momentum as he has won the last three fall Texas races.
Joey Logano, winner of last weekend’s Playoff race at Kansas and a 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship contender, will start alongside Harvick on the front row. Teammate Brad Keselowski will start in third place followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, all of whom produced strong results at Kansas.
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin will start in sixth and seventh followed by Kurt Busch, who looks to rebound following his late engine failure at Kansas.
Kyle Busch will start in ninth place and as the highest non-title contender on the starting grid alongside Ryan Blaney and followed by William Byron and Austin Dillon.
Rounding out positions 13-26 are Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto, Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, Clint Bowyer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson.
Rounding out positions 27-40 are Ty Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, Brennan Poole, Matt Kenseth, J.J. Yeley, Quin Houff, Reed Sorenson, Timmy Hill, Josh Bilicki, Garrett Smithley, Joey Gase and Chad Finchum.
The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will occur on Sunday, October 25, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
