O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 starting lineup 2021: The race order grid and how it’s determined with no qualifying

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series is underway, and the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 is set to run at the Daytona Road Course on Sunday. The race starts at 3 p.m. ET and will air on FOX.

Chase Elliott (+225) is favored to win at DraftKings Sportsbook and is off to an impressive start after winning the Cup Series title last year. He’s finished second in two races this year and hasn’t placed lower than fifth so far. He’ll be the pole sitter for Sunday’s road race and was dominant away from the oval last year. Elliott will be trailed by Michael McDowell (+6600), who unexpectedly won last weekend’s wild Daytona 500. Austin Dillon (+10000) will start in third following a second-place finish at the Daytona 500.

The starting lineup for this race and most of the races this season will involve a performance-metric formula created last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. NASCAR will have some qualifying this season, but the ongoing pandemic will keep it limited. The formula will take recent performance into account to determine the starting grid. Here are the factors that go into determining the order.

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

Here’s a look at the starting grid for Sunday’s race.

Starting lineup for O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 race